Noise Pollution from Chippers and Chain Saws

Noise, both in the environment and in the workplace, has long been recognized as a major health hazard, one that can impair not only a person’s hearing, but also his physical and mental well-being.

Like air and water pollution, noise is often associated with productive activity. The sounds that offend may be those of transportation, of construction, or of people making their living. Noise, in fact, is one of the few hazards common to almost all industries. What is industrial noise to the operator of a bulldozer is environmental noise to the person who lives near the construction site. Noise pollution in the community and noise creation on the job site are undeniably linked. Noise is a problem for society as a whole.

The world is getting noisier, not quieter, and it will take the combined efforts of many groups: employers, legislators, citizens, to reverse the trend.

The current Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard is 90 dB as the maximum level for eight hours of noise exposure each day. The OSHA standards should be regarded as a guideline for the present.

Here is the claim of one chipper company. At operating speed, the noise level of the chipper will be less than 80 decibels at 50 feet. This level will be slightly higher when cutting and will depend on the material being chipped. The same hold true on either the 12- or 16-inch chippers.

I asked for information from other companies, manufacturers of both chippers and power saws, but they didn’t want to give away any trade secrets concerning noise levels of their machines. Gentlemen, we have come a long way from the hand saw and the cross-cut saw, but it looks like we still have a long way to go to bring the noise of chippers and chain saws to levels acceptable to society.

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