Assessment of Duration of Exposure to Noise by the Operators in Power Tiller Workplace
2015
Verma Ajay | Guru Prabhat Kumar | Pandey Mukesh Kumar
Every day, millions of agricultural workers are exposed to noise at work and all the risks this can entail. The World Health Organization (WHO) states “noise-induced hearing loss is insidious, permanent and irreparable”. By using power tiller, more than the permissible exposure limit to noise may cause serious health problems to the agricultural workers. This paper examines the noise propagation of popular and most commonly used power tillers having a power rating of 11kW, 9.5kW and 4.4 kW. It was observed that all three power tillers produced the noise above 93 dB(A) in the working zone of the operator. The density of noise contour and SPL is proportional to the engine rpm or load. The working radius around PT-I, PT-II and PT-III of 3.5 m, 2 m and 5.6 m was found noisy [>90 dB(A)] and not suitable to work 8 h per day as per recommendation of ISO and OSHA. The permissible duration of exposure to noise for operator for PT-I, PT-II and PT-III varies from 7.8 h to 3.6 h, 13 h to 5.1 h and 5.3h to 2.1h, respectively for different engine rpm.
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