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Author Topic: Loud projection booths could damage hearing David Stambaugh Film God Posts: 4021 From: Eugene, Oregon Registered: Jan 2002 posted 02-26-2003 02:54 PM                        Don't forget about all the extra labor raking it. We had green shag carpet in our house in the 70s and my mom made us rake it.  |  IP: Logged Gracia L. Babbidge Jedi Master Film Handler Posts: 709 From: Bowdoin, Maine Registered: Aug 2000 posted 02-26-2003 03:44 PM                        If wearing earplugs didn't seriously annoy the out of me, I'd wear them in my booth a lot more than I do. If I remember correctly, the ambient noise level in my work environment (with 8 Christies & 2 Century JJs all running) is up around 76dB or so. That's loud enough to cause permanent damage with repeated, prolonged exposure. Of all the things that I feel my booth lacks, a dropped ceiling has got to be what I would most like to see installed. I know that it would help a hell of a lot with the effeciency of the HVAC system! So much dead space overhead... After that ... I'd want running water before a carpet! It kinda blows to have to fill three humidifiers (six gallon capacity each), by lugging buckets around! Gotta love the static-prone winter weather up here! ...Of course, the hose long enough to reach the top of the stairs does help, but still...  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-26-2003 03:55 PM                     Although the US Government rules state noise levels of 80-85 dB before requiring noise abatement, I agree with you that lower levels can and probably do cause hearing damage, especially when the noise carries on for long periods of time. Electronic noise-cancelling headphones are really neat. For continuous "droning" noises like lawnmower engines, airplane propellers and machine noises they do work pretty well. If you've never seen them, they look like a WalkMan headset but the "radio" part has a microphone and some funky electronic gizmo inside. It listens to the noise around you, inverts the phase and emits it through the headphones. The "negative noise" cancels out the "positive noise" leaving your ears in relative quiet. Some models come built-in to industrial style earmuffs like construction workers wear. Other times they look like a WalkMan. Some of them even have the ability to plug a WalkMan or similar device into them and they mix the noise cancelling effect with music. As I remember, I have seen some projectionists who work in "fishbowl" style OmniMax booths wearing them. I would imagine the noise level in there is really bad, thus requiring their use. I tried a pair of them out on the shooting range. They work pretty well for "acute" noises like gunshots but they work best at long, droning noises like I said above. Even if you don't end up getting some, you ought to at least check them out. They are pretty neat-o.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 02-26-2003 09:35 PM                        Whether it's carpet or bare floor, the important thing is to keep it clean! Vacuum and damp mop floors frequently. Vacuum and shampoo carpeting. Use a central vacuum system or one with a true HEPA filter.  |  IP: Logged Steve Kraus Film God Posts: 4094 From: Chicago, IL, USA Registered: May 2000 posted 02-27-2003 07:38 AM                    This is a topic of interest as I stay in close proximity to the machines. I have often considered adding some sound deadening to some of the wall surfaces but the Sonex type foam (one presumes it's fire retardant) I would reject because it would act as a huge dust collector. I'm thinking of nicely faced compressed fiberglass panels. But I also thought about a DIY solution, boxing in an area with 1x2's or 1x3's and filling it with fiberglass if I can think of a way to face it that looks nice.  |  IP: Logged Larry Zuverink Film Handler Posts: 98 From: Caledonia, MI, USA Registered: Nov 2002 posted 02-27-2003 08:11 AM                     I hate carpet in the booth. We always had dust problems with carpet no matter how often it was cleaned. I agree that the booth is usually the first place money is cut but its a simple thing. If the booth loud, where ear plugs. Millions of people a day work at jobs that require them. The manager at any theatre that has a loud booth would be stupid not to require them.  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 02-27-2003 09:27 AM                        quote: We always had dust problems with carpet no matter how often it was cleaned. You've got the wrong kind of carpet. Again, a synthetic fiber short-nap industrial carpet should be non-linting and easy to keep clean. These carpets are finding their way into electronics assembly areas and computer/master control rooms, which would be even more dust sensitive than projection rooms. Repeating one of my links, this is the type of carpeting I am talking about: http://www.anti-staticmat.com/ConductiveCarpeting.htm  |  IP: Logged Bill Langfield Master Film Handler Posts: 280 From: Prospect, NSW, Australia Registered: Apr 2001 posted 02-27-2003 09:49 AM                        Randy, quote: machines (of all types), I have experienced noticible hearing loss and even some tinnitis. I would not fault ANYBODY who wanted to wear ear plugs, muffs or better still, electronic noise-cancelling headphones. I've got a general idea of what 'tinnitis' is, what I get every now and then (perhap once a week)- no matter in a noisy or quiet place) is a ringing noise that comes for no reason, it only lasts for 20-30 seconds. It's not that loud but, freaks me out a bit. Should I be concerned if it comes more often or get louder? BILL!  |  IP: Logged John Pytlak Film God Posts: 9987 From: Rochester, NY 14650-1922 Registered: Jan 2000 posted 02-27-2003 10:30 AM                        quote: Should I be concerned if it comes more often or get louder? Might be a good idea to have a doctor or audiologist check your hearing.  |  IP: Logged Randy Stankey Film God Posts: 6539 From: Erie, Pennsylvania Registered: Jun 99 posted 02-27-2003 03:17 PM                     Have you ever heard the high-pitched whine that the HV circuits in an older television make? That's what tinnitus sounds like to me. It's virtually continuous, although most of the time I don't notice it. It's only when things get quiet that I notice. Some other causes of tinnitus-like symptoms can be stress, general health/nutrition level and blood pressure. If you suddenly have ringing in your ears, I would get to a doctor because (I imagine) that would mean there is a possibility of a bout of high blood pressure coming on. (Or at least check your BP.)  |  IP: Logged Ray Bernardi Expert Film Handler Posts: 120 From: Antrim, NH, USA Registered: Feb 2003 posted 02-27-2003 04:22 PM                     Hello all - this is my second post, I'm a new member. I have tinnitus in my right ear. It was caused by working around jet engines when I was in the air force. It sounds like the crinkling of cellophane to me. The noise in the booth actually has the effect of masking the noise to me. When I'm in the booth, the ambient noise level is high enough I don't notice the tinnitus. I've tried wearing ear plugs in the booth, but that actually makes my right ear act up a lot more. Go figure.... My booth is carpeted with an office grade loop carpet. It doesn't shed much, that hasn't been a problem, but static is. I'm in NH and during the winter the air gets cold and very dry. That's when we have the problems and I need to treat the carpet. During the summer when the air is humid, we have no static issues. That leads me to believe there are other factors that determine if carpet leads to static problems. I'm tempted to try a humidifier in the booth during the winter. Are there any reasons that would be a bad idea?  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 02-27-2003 04:29 PM                        quote: I'm tempted to try a humidifier in the booth during the winter. Are there any reasons that would be a bad idea? That would be good. You should try to have 50-60% RH in your booth at all times of the year.  |  IP: Logged Larry Shaw Expert Film Handler Posts: 238 From: Boston, MA, USA Registered: Mar 2000 posted 02-27-2003 04:58 PM                        About 10 years ago OSHA visited the Loews Cheri complex in Boston (at the time 3 houses, 3 seprate booths, 3 projectionists). They measured noise in the booths and found booth 2 way over their limits, mainly due to a tubeaxial lamp exhaust fan in the booth. Within a couple days the fan (which projectionists had complained about for years to no avail)was gone and another installed outside the building, and a fine was levied on Lowews. See you in LV, booth 1617  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 02-27-2003 05:56 PM                        quote: I'm thinking of nicely faced compressed fiberglass panels. That stuff works pretty good Steve. We've used it in some larger recording studios where sonex foam wouldn't work much better due to the large space. The nice thing about fiberglass panels is that you can paint them.  |  IP: Logged Rick Stowell Film Handler Posts: 13 From: MN Registered: Feb 2003 posted 02-27-2003 05:57 PM                     New member - great site! Our booth is approx. 15' x 100'. Vinyl tile floors, sheetrock walls, and METAL ceilings about 7' high! Remodeled a building, no theater experience, and these were the recommendations! I do care about the employees, and am ordering carpeting tomorrow, but I'm lost on what I can do with the ceilings being so low. By the way, we had static problems in MN, and installed a humidifier with a direct water line. It's helped some.  |  IP: Logged

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