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Sawmill safety and Hearing aids

Started by Mt406, February 16, 2018, 11:48:47 AM

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Mt406

I have 3 hearing test that all same the same thing I can't hear.
The Doc wants me to were them all the time at least 8-10 a day.
She said if I don't the nerves in my ears wont work well with them.
The recommendation put them in in the morning and were hearing protection over them.

So hears my questions? 
Are any of you guys wearing hearing aids at the mill with head phone type over them?
How's it working?
Is the dust and sweat effecting the aids?
Do you think it adds to the safety?

I have lost hearing in the 3-8000 range they tell me were you hear voices.
It would be nice to hear customer's wen out at the mill.
My wife thinks in don't listen to I have proof I don't hear her.

Thanks for any reply's
Scott

Even after ins they want 2500$ out of my pocket.
   

ButchC

I am as deaf as the come and been wearing hearing aides for over 20 years. It does indeed take a while for you and your ears to become comfortable with them and the only way it gets better is to wear them. That being said I dont wear them in noisy work environments because they are a huge annoyance when there is lots of noise around. Yes dirt and sweat affects them and they should supply you with a dry pack for that.  As for the cost tell them to shove the $2500 hearing aides! It is a game that all the audiologists play. They push a certain brand not because they are the best but because they get the biggest kick back for selling them, they push the high end ones because that means the kick back is greater.  The new technologies (and the country of origin)  mean even the lower priced ones work great. My current ones are 2 years old. Told the audiologist that I didn't just fall off the turnip wagon and so I didnt want to hear about $2000 devises, a a matter of fact I didnt want the hear about $1000 ones. Choice was hers, make a sale and make a little o stick to the rhetoric and I walk out, I got a fine set of $700 hearing aides that work great.   Good luck with whatever you chose.
Peterson JP swing mill
Morbark chipper
Shop built firewood processor
Case W11B
Many chainsaws, axes, hatchets,mauls,
Antique tractors and engines, machine shop,wife, dog,,,,,that's about it.

Mt406

Butch

You are right I felt it was all about the money.
They were the ones that were them out there thay will be ok.
And when thay quit. you can buy new again.
I have been looking online at some 1/3 the price.
My cell ph has more tech at a fraction of the price.
Becase the FDA call it a medical device they can charge.
feeling like i am being ripped off.  >:(

Scott

garre1tt

I wear hearing aids but not normally while milling.  I have worn them under my hearing protection before.  Not real comfortable.   They will dampen the sound electronically but seem to need to be restarted to hear loud enough when I stop milling.  I have to do that after driving in the truck as well though.
I do carry them with me at all times so easy enough to put them in when a customer stops by. 
They are a life changer. 
Woodmizer LT 40, 1900 Linn Lumber Band mill, massey ferguson 245 tractor, Stihl 084,066,036,370,290,018
Past owner of WoodBug CSM, Alaskan CSM,1900 Linn Lumber Band mill, Lucus 6-18 Stihl 064, Stihl 084

21incher

I have severe hearing loss and wear behind the ear aids. When I use anything loud I just hit the mute button and with custom ear molds it all goes quiet. When mowing I mute the speakers and stream Bluetooth music to them. I used to have in the ear ones and they would work with standard ear muffs, but the new ones won't . :)
Hudson HFE-21 on a custom trailer, Deere 4100, Kubota BX 2360, Echo CS590 & CS310, home built wood splitter, home built log arch, a logrite cant hook and a bread machine. And a Kubota Sidekick with a Defective Subaru motor.

Magicman

Don't care what they say, I do not and will not wear them under muffs while sawing or any other noisy work.  I wear earplugs when sawmilling, chainsawing, or doing tractor work such as bushhogging.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

Percy

I tried wearing mine under my earmuffs...major pain...feed back squawking etc....then my son warren says to me while Im putting earmuff protection over my hearing aids...."Guess you wanna hear 'nothing' very clearly." I laughed my gutz out and quit doing that right then. I wear them constantly otherwise.

It was determined by "worksafe" that my hearing loss was due to my job and they pay for a pretty high zoot set of hearing aids. I threw in some money and got the top shelf ones. I can bluetooth music, watch tv, and hear the grandkids talking to me easily. They are great. They even supply all my batteries and wax guards etc.


Conversation between me and my buddies before we got hearing aids:
"Windy, isnt it?"
"No, its Thursday."
"So am I, lets get a beer."  ;D
GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

Gearbox

I have used aids for 20 years . When you get aids put them in and leave them in yes . After that I always take them out when operating any loud equipment . I prefer foam ear plugs because I think they work better than muffs . Big thing is anything over 90 decibles will still do damage .
A bunch of chainsaws a BT6870 processer , TC 5 International track skidder and not near enough time

firefighter ontheside

Well, I'm a little offended.  My wife is an audiologist with a masters degree in speech pathology, a masters in audiology and a doctorate in audiology.  She runs her own practice.  She uses mostly Unitron because she believes they have the best device for her patients, but she is happy to sell a patient whatever they request.  My wife does not push high end devices.  She recommends what is most appropriate for her patients.  Some people with severe loss need the more expensive hearing aids to be effective. 

Places like southwest hearing center and other dispensers as they actually are, usually don't have an actual audiologist working there.  At best you will,usually find a person with at best an associate degree.  What you will probably find is a person with a dispensing license from the state.  When these places advertise a free hearing test, it's free because they are not allowed by law to charge.  These are usually the people who push devices people don't need and it's all about the money.  It's unfair to judge someone like my wife along with them. 

Now, I'm pretty sure my wife would not recommend to wear hearing aids under ear muffs.  I can ask her if you want.  She will give you a very educated opinion.  Even people with hearing loss can damage their hearing more.  She wants me to wear plugs and muffs at my mill and while using other loud machinery. 
Woodmizer LT15
Kubota Grand L4200
Stihl 025, MS261 and MS362
2017 F350 Diesel 4WD
Kawasaki Mule 4010
1998 Dodge 3500 Flatbed

Gearbox

Butchc You could have done the same thing a Wal Mart for $39.95 . There called Game Ears . I have used them in emergency.    annoying to use but you can hear .
A bunch of chainsaws a BT6870 processer , TC 5 International track skidder and not near enough time

Oliver05262

  A lot of you are veterans, and if you ask at the VA, you can get an appointment for a hearing test, and may qualify for free hearing aids. I got them several years ago, and even though I don't wear them as much as I should because of noisy work environment, I really do appreciate them. There are times when I need to turn them down a tad, but there are a lot of sounds that I would never hear again if I did not have them.
Oliver Durand
"You can't do wrong by doing good"
It's OK to cry.
I never did say goodby to my invisible friend.
"I woke up still not dead again today" Willy
Don't use force-get a bigger hammer.

firefighter ontheside

Also, if you are more than 40 miles from a VA facility you can go to a local audiologist.  The program is called Veterans Choice.  My wife has been helping veterans get their hearing aids recently.
Woodmizer LT15
Kubota Grand L4200
Stihl 025, MS261 and MS362
2017 F350 Diesel 4WD
Kawasaki Mule 4010
1998 Dodge 3500 Flatbed

POSTON WIDEHEAD

I don't wear ear protection...never have. Was around loud music for years and now a loud sawmill and a loud wife.  smiley_curtain_peek

Doctor says I still have 20 / 20 hearing.
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

Magicman

WHAT??  I can see your horns moving but you ain't tooting.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

POSTON WIDEHEAD

Quote from: Magicman on February 16, 2018, 10:59:06 PM
WHAT??  I can see your horns moving but you ain't tooting.

I have bad vocal tooters.  :D
The older I get I wish my body could Re-Gen.

Mt406

Firefighter

No offence meant toward your wife.
I know there people out there that there goal is to help.
I just ran into two that is was about the money.
One quoted 7400$ by the time my hand was on the door knob she was down to 3200$
Really frustrated can't see, can't hear, and we wont go into the rest of the thing that don't work right.
Getting old sucks and to all you guys older than me hats off to you.
Your tuff.  8)

Scott   

firefighter ontheside

Mt406,

In the future I would be sure of what credentials your audiologist has.  They are all in business to make money, but some have better ethics than others.

Unfortunately for some folks who have profound hearing loss, it's expensive to get aids that will help them.

I did ask her about aids under muffs.  She said the only time she would recommend that is in a situation where a person is in a setting where they need to be able to hear immediately after removing the muffs.  Her example was in a factory where a person may have to remove the muffs to talk to a coworker.  She said that muffs over your ears creates a situation where you're creating a moist environment which could be detrimental to your aids.  For us working at a mill by ourselves, she said it's not worth the damage you may do to your aids to have them on under muffs.

Good luck to ya.
Woodmizer LT15
Kubota Grand L4200
Stihl 025, MS261 and MS362
2017 F350 Diesel 4WD
Kawasaki Mule 4010
1998 Dodge 3500 Flatbed

petefrom bearswamp

I only wear mine in social situations.
When milling, shooting, planing or chainsawing and other noisy endeavors, if I need to communicate with others I just yell loud and they yell loud back.
Sometimes I dont want to hear what the wife has to say.
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

Magicman

Pete you are a bad man, but you are good.   :)
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

firefighter ontheside

Mt, I just reread your post and realized you wanted to hear clients at the mill.  In that instance she would say wear your aids with muffs that have good NRR.  You can get devices to dry your hearing aids overnight.  There are several options.  One has a UV light that dries the aids.  Others have dessicants to dry the aids, but the dessicants wear out over time.
Woodmizer LT15
Kubota Grand L4200
Stihl 025, MS261 and MS362
2017 F350 Diesel 4WD
Kawasaki Mule 4010
1998 Dodge 3500 Flatbed

petefrom bearswamp

I have such a drier.
I use it when I get in the shower and can hear the water REALLY well.
U can figure out why.
I bet nobody else has done this.
Kubota 8540 tractor, FEL bucket and forks, Farmi winch
Kubota 900 RTV
Polaris 570 Sportsman ATV
3 Huskies 1 gas Echo 1 cordless Echo vintage Homelite super xl12
57 acres of woodland

firefighter ontheside

Pete, Cindy said "that's usually what happens".  I don't think you're the only one.
Woodmizer LT15
Kubota Grand L4200
Stihl 025, MS261 and MS362
2017 F350 Diesel 4WD
Kawasaki Mule 4010
1998 Dodge 3500 Flatbed

Kbeitz

Check into worker communication hearing aids in noisy environments.
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

21incher

Quote from: petefrom bearswamp on February 17, 2018, 11:19:03 AM
I have such a drier.
I use it when I get in the shower and can hear the water REALLY well.
U can figure out why.
I bet nobody else has done this.

I have done that. Mine are ip67 rated and supposed to be good for submersion in up to 1 meter of water so they survive. $1699.00 at Costco gets you a fantastic set of aids. They do require a ENT prescription before selling to you and give you a 6 month money back trial with no questions asked on any of the brands they sell. I got prices 4x that for the same technology at other dispensers.
When I mute my set with custom silicone molds you hear nothing, it shuts down the mics. They are quieter then any other type of protection I have ever used.  I guess everyone has different results depending on the domes or molds they are fitted with.  :)
Hudson HFE-21 on a custom trailer, Deere 4100, Kubota BX 2360, Echo CS590 & CS310, home built wood splitter, home built log arch, a logrite cant hook and a bread machine. And a Kubota Sidekick with a Defective Subaru motor.

Percy

Wife:You never heard a thing I just said.
Me: That's a weird way to start a conversation.  ;D
GOLDEN RULE : The guy with the gold, makes the rules.

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