Head phones, ear buds...

[oppster]

Helooooo,

ive just posted this in another thread,,, think i made a boo boo.

Good evening,

Firstly, i know UK an everyone else has different HS rules/legislation...
My issue here, is the use of earbuds, headsets etc. Listening to music/podcasts etc..Within an Engineering environment!

1. If you are working a CNC, you know what you are doing, you have an EStop. (you wouldnt be on a NC if ya wasnt skilled enough)
2. Working on a manual lathe, you can't hear nothing apart from ya shit music. Also the guy infront and behind of you, is doing his job... The guy behind..... Oooops, "needs help"

My view, it's a no on manual machines! Health an safety factor!.
The managements view, employees can use them... ( i am part of management, falling on deaf ears"excuse the pun", i don't want an accident to happen).

Views please.... As its really grinding my gears atm! Its a fuckin no from me! Thanks!

 

[M.B. Naegle]

IMO, they shouldn't be allowed on the shop floor. Even if you're not the one running a machine, if the guy who is running a machine is in trouble and your ears are too plugged up to hear him, that's not a pleasant situation to be in.

Often the shop floor is already noisy and you have to shout to be heard as it is, but IMO that's not an excuse to further deaden your senses, it's all the more reason not to have more distraction. Even with ear protection on, you can often hear someone shouting at you.

On a similar note, I'm also not a fan or having multiple radios going on out on the floor (which is sometimes the "compromise" people reach). It just becomes a battle of whose radio is the loudest so they can drone out the other "sucky music." One radio or no radio.

A noisy environment is just a fact of the workplace to be dealt with, and ear protection can't be helped, but a radio is a perk and not required.

 

[Strostkovy]

I hate the noise of the shop. I always have earbuds in with soft music unless I am actively training someone or driving the forklift. I don't expect everyone to listen to this shit all day, though our workers are welders or laser/brake operators. While hearing may help in some cases you can do all of these jobs totally deaf.
I find the reduction in people bothering me to be pleasant.

I also find some bosses care too much about how quickly they can get someone's attention to talk to them when they should instead be wondering whether or not they have anything important to hear.

 

[mhajicek]

I think it's going to depend on the shop and the machines. If the machines are big enough to get wound up in, it's probably not a good idea. If you're doing miniature or micromachining though, I don't see a problem.

 

[Strostkovy]

And on a related note, I have an auditory processing issue where I cannot discern speech from noise (despite having a completely normal ability to hear that a noise of any particular frequency is being played), so people talking to me across the shop are a massive pain in the ass because they can hear me fine but I have no idea what they are saying. Ignoring them until they approach me cuts down on trips over the other guys for some dumb joke or whatever.

 

[SteveEx30]

I always wear just 1 ear bud. Let's me hear my machines etc. And I work alone. I just don't find it comfortable to not hear what's going on around me.

Its crazy how many shops let employees wear em.

 

[Ox]

Ear Buds

So what is the consensus on these things? They looks like a bad deal to me, but I never used any. Until the other day and we went to the Shawshank Prison (not really Shawshank) and they handed out buds and a receiver to everyone on the tour so's we could hear the guide. Personally I did not...

www.practicalmachinist.com

---------------

Think Snow Eh!
Ox

 

[706jim]

I've taught manual machining for many years. Rule in my shop?

NO music or earbuds/ headphones.

I can hear the sound of an overloaded lathe instantly if there is no background noise.

THEY can hear me if I yell "Duck!"

And as an "older" teacher, I've told the kids that we could never agree on the type of music that should be played either.

 

[Strostkovy]

I've taught manual machining for many years. Rule in my shop?

NO music or earbuds/ headphones.

I can hear the sound of an overloaded lathe instantly if there is no background noise.

THEY can hear me if I yell "Duck!"

And as an "older" teacher, I've told the kids that we could never agree on the type of music that should be played either.

I maintain the opinion that if people need to hear a yell to stay safe the environment is hazardous and that should be dealt with before you make sure people can hear your screams in an emergency.

 

[Pete Deal]

I'm the only one in the shop so I can do what I want. I personally like to hear the machines run. There's nothing dangerous going on here mostly I just like to hear them. It seems very often when things start to go wrong I can hear it. Personally I think hearing in this way is a big part of the game. Of course I pay the bills too so when something tears up it's on me.

 

[guythatbrews]

Helooooo,

ive just posted this in another thread,,, think i made a boo boo.

Good evening,

Firstly, i know UK an everyone else has different HS rules/legislation...
My issue here, is the use of earbuds, headsets etc. Listening to music/podcasts etc..Within an Engineering environment!

1. If you are working a CNC, you know what you are doing, you have an EStop. (you wouldnt be on a NC if ya wasnt skilled enough)
2. Working on a manual lathe, you can't hear nothing apart from ya shit music. Also the guy infront and behind of you, is doing his job... The guy behind..... Oooops, "needs help"

My view, it's a no on manual machines! Health an safety factor!.
The managements view, employees can use them... ( i am part of management, falling on deaf ears"excuse the pun", i don't want an accident to happen).

Views please.... As its really grinding my gears atm! Its a fuckin no from me! Thanks!

Sorry but your point 1 is simply not true. Just read some of the posts on this forum.

As to earbuds or no, I say no. Same goes for radios.

 

[mhajicek]

I usually wear noise cancelling headphones with loud music while I'm working. It keeps out the noise of the 50,000RPM spindles and the air compressor and lets me think. If I want to hear how a cut is doing I'll lift it off one ear for a moment, but that usually only applies to my larger tools (3/16" and up). For the smaller tools, like .010" - .020", I can't always hear them in the cut anyway, and the tool is either there or it isn't. That's what tool breakage detection is for. You're never going to tell by ear that such a cutter is wearing.

 

[5 axis Fidia guy]

Most of our guys have earbuds in while working. Not sure if it's good or bad, but it keeps them happy. With todays enclosed machines, you cannot hear what's going on anyhow for the most part. Guys in design and including myself programming, have a radio going, sitting in silence would drive me nuts.

 

[CAMasochism]

Guys in design and including myself programming, have a radio going, sitting in silence would drive me nuts.

I've always been asked how I can just sit with no music or anything, truth is, the voices in my head keep me good company.

 

[PegroProX440]

We can wear them here. Its a small shop of like 8 guys on the floor. About half use ear buds. Just be appropriate with them. There are definitely times when I need to hear what I am doing so they are in and out all day.

I hate the radio and advertisements and the same loop of crappy music. I would rather silence than the radio.

 

[DDoug]

Can you hear the fire/evacuate alarm ?

 

[Strostkovy]

Can you hear the fire/evacuate alarm ?

Interestingly we aren't required to have a fire alarm so long as the sprinkler system is functional and self reporting when flow is detected. The building was never equipped with an audible or visible fire alarm. Just a little phone call when a sprinkler pops.

 

[toolmaker96]

I hate the earbuds in the shop, I think it is a safety concern. However, over the years we have started allowing ear buds, based on the one ear policy. If you are caught with both, you loose the privilege.

 

[DDoug]

Interestingly we aren't required to have a fire alarm so long as the sprinkler system is functional and self reporting when flow is detected. The building was never equipped with an audible or visible fire alarm. Just a little phone call when a sprinkler pops.

So if another part of the building is engulfed in flames, but the sprinkler head hasn't popped yet, you keep working ?
How about a gas leak ? Approaching Tornado ?

 

[Kingbob]

My opinion is that from an HS&E perspective you wouldn't tell a guy not to use ear plugs if he feels the need to wear ear plugs. I am no lawyer but that's not a position I'd like to be in if he comes back and said my shop made him deaf.
So if earplugs are carte blanche you have no leg to stand on banning headphones/ear buds. They are both in or they are both out.
Personally I wear my head phones all day everyday but they are usually off and just used as passive hearing protection. I am mostly deaf in one ear from a childhood injury so I am trying to keep what I got.
Also I've been the man of the house here for years and I find it best if the guys know I can't hear their conversations. I'm not one to overhear complaints and coddle grown men, if some one has a need or wants me to know something they are going to have to get my attention and say it to my face.