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Personal
Safety Equipment
Hearing protection in IPSC is MANDATORY. This is for good reasons, the guns we shoot create IMPACT sounds up to 140db. In the world of
safety this is considered LOUD. The key to remember is that we want to bring that 140db down as close as we can to 87db. Our ears can
handle sound levels of 87db for unlimited time. IMPACT sounds of 140db can cause permanent damage within 1-2 seconds exposure.Each increase of 3db's doubles the loudness in your ear. Conversely, each
increase of 3db's over and above 87db effectively reduces by half the amount
of time you can safely endure the noise unprotected. We can safely handle 87db's without damage for 16 hours, 90db's for
only 8 hours, 93db's only 4 hours, and so on. So, at our estimated exposure
while shooting of 107db we can cumulatively endure the noise for about 10-15
minutes a day - certainly enough time if you add up all the milliseconds of
each gunshot report you might be exposed to at a match.
When choosing hearing protection you want to look for the HIGHEST NRR rating. NRR (Noise Reduction Rating) is basically a number in (db).
So a NRR of 33 will roughly reduce noise by 33db. So for example a 140db impact noise is reduced to 107db.
Unfortunately many do not understand that Hearing loss is cumulative and once lost, can never be regained.. This means, when unprotected, your
hearing is gradually being destroyed and one day you will either be deaf or
require hearing aids.
Fortunately we have many options to choose from :
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Ear Muffs - These are the traditional earmuffs with the big cups and a
band that goes over the head. These come in various styles and colors
and are reusable. NRR 19-29
Ear Muffs |
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Ear Plugs - These are normally made of some sort of rubber and are
inserted directly into the ear. They come corded or un-corded and
are reusable. NRR 25-33 |
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Foam Ear Plugs - These plugs are normally made of a soft molded foam
and are inserted directly into the ear. They come corded or un-corded
and are disposable. NRR 25-33 |
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Custom Ear Plugs - These are normally made by taking a mold of your
ear. This offers a ear plug that is comfortable and can be worn for
long periods of time. They are reusable and come in various colors
and options. NRR 22-26 |
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Electronic Ear Muffs - These are like standard ear muffs but with a
twist. Stand alone they offer NRR 22 to 27, but with the electronics
they amplify regular speech to above normal levels. When they are
subjected to a impact noise they compress the noise to a safe level
around 85db's |
Eye Protection. We only have (2) eyes, and we need to take every precaution
to protect them. Why do we wear eye protection?, well to me it's pretty obvious,
but I better explain why. Ask any experienced shooter if they have ever had any
"Splatter" or "Lead" come back at them. Odds are they will all have a story
to tell. Shooting in general is a VERY SAFE sport. There are hazards associated
with it. A fact of life is sometimes while shooting you will get some "splatter" of
bullet "jacket" or "lead" bouncing back at you. This is why we wear safety
glasses.
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Safety eyewear is our #1 defense. When choosing eyewear, you should find
something that fits you good, comfortable, and wraps around and provides
good eye coverage. Bonus features such as lens color, anti-fog coating,
anti-uv coating are good extras. If you wear prescription eyewear there
is (2) routes you can go. You can get prescription inserts for certain
models of safety / sports eyewear. The other option is to use your regular
prescription eyewear BUT please make sure you have good side coverage or
add side shields to them while shooting.
No matter what eyewear you choose make sure that it has some sort of
CSA High Impact rating. Eyewear is no good if it's not going to protect
you from "Splatter". |
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