Sound can be both pleasant and simultaneously hazardous at the same time. Sound becomes hazardous to our auditory system when it is too intense and exists for extended periods of time. At first, our ears can recover during quiet times between intense exposure which we call temporary threshold shift (TTS). Symptoms include ringing or pain in ears, muffled sounds, difficulty hearing quiet sounds, a feeling of fullness in the ears, or awareness of transient hearing loss. However, over time, the hazardous noise can create a permanent threshold shift where the hearing loss becomes permanent.
Noise Induced Hearing Loss is the Leading Occupational Disease in Today's Workforce.
According to the National Campaign for Hearing Health (NIOSH) - noise-induced hearing loss is one of the top occupational hazards in the modern workforce. Approximately 30 million workers are exposed to workplace toxic noise.
According to NIOSH, those most at risk for hearing loss are workers in the agriculture, mining, construction, manufacturing, utilities, transportation and military industries. Any sound produced at or above 85 decibels (dB) threatens to damage the ear. Many workplace sounds commonly encountered register at a much higher level–from 90 to over 100 decibels. While not all workers are complient, most have some sort of protection device offered to them in the form of either foam ear plugs or ear muffs.
SonoCustomTM to the Rescue!
Sonomax created the SonoCustomTM ear plug to combat the issues of comfort, fit and ability to maintain communication. The SonoCustomTM protection devices are made from cured silicone that are custom fit on the spot creating a perfect acoustic seal that blocks out hazardous noise, yet still allows users to hear conversations and warning signals. SonoCustoms™ are fit in less than fifteen minutes and last up to 3 years at a cost which is typically less than half the cost of foam plugs– with far superior protection. They are comfortable, discreet and easily portable while being 100% effective.
How do you know they are 100% effective?
Beyond tackling the issue of creating a comfortable and compact hearing protection device that allowed the user to hear outside noise–one problem had still not been addressed. Proving that your hearing protection was actually working
Every year thousands of companies are sued by workers who claim damages due to hearing loss while on the job. If a company could supply the best protection, and PROVE the authenticity of the protection that their workers were getting, millions of dollars could be saved on litigation, and workers would have piece of mind that they were being sufficiently protected. This is the win-win situation that Sonomax and all its partners are striving for.
Introducing the SonoPassTM "proof of performance" software created by Sonomax.
SonoPassTM, our proprietary Windows-based software, drives the fitting process and provides immediate proof of functionality. This is achieved by generating a quantified pink noise sweep (representative of all frequencies from 63Hz to 8000Hz) into the ear while the Sonomax hearing protection devices are being worn and measuring the amount of sound actually getting through to the ear on the other side. A specially designed microphone and testing chamber built into the SonoCustomTM make this objective calculation of noise reduction possible.
Please visit our North American Licensee for the SonoPass Fit Validation at:
www.e-a-rfit.com
The Sonomax SolutionTM: Product & Software Come Together
Sonomax has tackled the problem of noise induced hearing loss and verification of protection by creating a system dubbed the Sonomax Solution. The Sonomax Solution is a revolutionary hearing protection system. It is comprised of our uniquely designed SonoCustomTM earplug and our windows-based SonoPassTM proprietary software. The combination of the two in a simple procedure, done on the-spot, in minutes, allows a technician to deliver hearing protection that is not only custom fit, but function tested/calibrated for reliability. What is more it provides employers with unprecedented ability to quantify and track hearing protection performance. The SonoPassTM conducts a function test that generates a corresponding 'Certification Report'.
This demonstrates to workers and employers alike that the SonomaxTM hearing protection device (HPD) provides the protection required to keep employees safe from toxic noise on the job. This is a market first and removed the guesswork of the past.
The Sonomax SolutionTM at a Glance
A Perfect Fit
Accurate fit is critical to the effectiveness of the hearing protector. Without it noise will leak into the ear, causing hearing damage. The SonoCustomTM provides a perfect acoustic seal because they are custom fitted to your ear!
So Comfortable–You Can Wear Them All The Time
Discomfort is a factor that reduces the effectiveness of hearing protection devices (HPD's). People tend to remove them when they cause pain or irritation. By contrast, The SonoCustomTM made from soft, hypoallergic silicone, fits perfectly without friction points and can be worn for prolonged periods of time.
You Can Hear People Talking-Even Warning Signals!
Inability to communicate with co-workers or hear warning signals is another barrier to workplace compliance. To address this challenge, the SonoCustomTM is equipped with acoustic filters that allow the user to communicate without the removal of the hearing protector. Radiocommunication capability can also be integrated to satisfy more challenging communication requirements.
Proof of Effectiveness in Your Hands.
SonoPassTM software drives the fitting process and tests each hearing protector for performance. In just minutes the user leaves with a brand new, customized set of hearing protectors and documented test results showing that the SonoCustomTM is working.
OSHA
Sonomax continues to interface with the US Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to promote effective changes in the US federal regulation–governing noise in the workplace (the Hearing Conservation Amendment, 29CFR1910.95, 1983). Sonomax is working with the International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) and others to promote changes in this regulation to afford better protection to the 30 million noise-exposed workers in the US by reducing permissible exposure limits for noise from 90 decibels (dB) 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) to 85 dB TWA, and adopting new scientific practices (pioneered by Sonomax) to assess the real protection provided by hearing protection.
Sonomax also continues to work through the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and others to promote and standardize procedures for individual fit-testing for hearing protection devices, with an eye to the pending change is Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations (40 CFR211 Subpart B, 1979) addressing hearing protector evaluation and labeling.
www.osha.gov
Dr. Jérémie Voix, Chief Technical Officer and Head Scientist for Sonomax, also works in Canada with the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) to promote adoption of new technologies to enhance worker protection from noise.
Please see the following publications written by Dr. Jérémie Voix.
Voix Publications 
Voix, J. and F. Laville (2002). Expandable Earplug With Smart Custom Fitting Capabilities. InterNOISE 2002, Dearborn, MI, USA.
Voix, J., F. Laville, et al. (2002). "Filter Selection to Adapt Earplug Performances to Sound Exposure." Journal of the Canadian Acoustical Association 30(3): 122.
Voix, J. and F. Laville (2004). "New Method and Device for Customizing In Situ a Hearing Protector." Journal of the Canadian Acoustical Association 32(3).
J.Voix. (2002) "Sonomax Introduces New Objective Rating Method:P-PAR (Predicted Personal Attenuation Rating". SonoJournal Vol.1, Issue 1. Sonomax Hearing Healthcare Inc, Montreal, Canada.
Voix, J. and F. Laville (2001). Proof of concept experiment for the SONO-PASS and SONOMAX expandable earplug. Montréal, École de technologie supérieure.
Voix, J. and F. Laville (2004). Problématiques associées au développement d'un bouchon d'oreille "intelligent" (Problematics associated with the development of a "smart" earplug). Réseau de recherche en santé et sécurité du travail du Québec [RRSSTQ]- 72ème Congrès annuel de l'ACFAS, Montréal,QC, Canada. (French only)
Voix, J. and F. Laville (2005). "Problématiques associées au développement d'un bouchon d'oreille "intelligent" (Problematics associated with the development of a "smart" earplug)." PISTES - Perspectives interdisciplinaires sur le travail et la santé Volume 7, Numero 2(Mai 2005). (French only)
Voix, J., F. Laville, et al. (2005). "In-situ Personal Assessment of Hearing Protector Performance- Recommendations for an Updated Standard." Journal of the Acoustical Society of America Vol. 117(No. 4, Pt. 2 of 2): p2480.
Voix, J. and F. Laville (2003). HPD Attenuation Verification: A Viable Option? - Panel discussion. National Hearing Conservation Association Annual Conference, Dallas, TX.
Voix, J. and F. Laville (2003). "HPD Attenuation Verification: A Viable Option? - Panel discussion." Spectrum Suppl. 1, 20, p. 22.
Voix, J. and J. N. Laperle (2005). Solution pour la protection auditive -Aspects techniques et scientifiques-. 21ème colloque sur la santé et la sécurité du travail, Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean, Chibougamau, Chapais. (French only)
Jérémie Voix, Lee D. Hager, and Jean Zeidan. Experimental validation of the objective measurement of individual earplug field performance. EuroNOISE, the 6th European Conference on Noise Control, June 2006.