NoiseCHEK, with SmartWave dB Mobile App
Excessive personal noise exposure is one of the main sources of workplace injuries. Being pervasive in characteristics, workers may become “used to” high levels of noise, and forget that excessive noise exposure can potentially impair hearing.
To establish a worker’s noise dose, IH professionals may deploy a combination of hand-held sound level meters and personal noise dosimeters. Depending on geographies, the preference of
instruments may differ.
The SKC NoiseCHEK, with SmartWave dB Mobile App, is a digital noise dosimeter that combines smart, modern, and user-intuitive technologies to transform how workers’ health and safety are
being monitored and safeguarded from over-exposure to noise.
With the high number of monitoring instruments in an IH’s toolbox, it can be difficult for these professionals to remember the operation sequences for each. Hence, the SKC NoiseCHEK touchscreen navigation offers intuitive operation and hence making compliance noise monitoring easier. By featuring multiple “virtual noise dosimeters” inside one single instrument, the user can conveniently obtain several measurement results calculated by the different methods (ISO, ACGIH, OSHA, or localized/customized protocol). The threshold triggered noise event recording feature offers to record an audio feed at any time. Once saved, the IH professionals can playback and listen to any past events. The standard 1/3 octave band filter helps perform band frequency analysis to assist in the correct prescription of the best hearing protectors as an interim solution for workers.
The method used to communicate monitoring results is pivotal to any personal/workplace monitoring program; the faster a dangerous workplace condition is discovered and communicated, the less likelihood there is for a workplace injury. Advances in wireless technology allow real-time transmission of information between the stakeholders (individual workers, supervisors, and emergency response team members), and it is hence of utmost importance to individuals who are performing risk-associated tasks (in this case, noisy work environment).
The philosophy on protecting workers by using the power of science is the principle on which SKC was founded. When it comes to worker safety, it is not enough to only monitor the workplace conditions. With the advent of digital technology, the SKC NoiseCHEK Personal Dosimeter is designed to connect to our mobile devices via the SmartWave dB Mobile App, and/or via the traditional connection with PC. The wireless connection allows supervisors to gain access to instrument readings any time during the work shift without having to interfere with the work. Hence, supervisors are never out of contact, even when workers may be out of sight.
The main idea is to make the monitoring results immediately available to whoever needs the information exactly where it is needed, as part of the workplace’s environmental health and safety
system.
The SKC NoiseCHEK is launched in June 2020 and has not been deployed in an actual field environment due to the temporary suspension of worldwide work-related activities. Nevertheless, we envision that in the future workplace, technical personal monitoring instruments will be re- imagined and e-connected. Wireless technology is just a starting point to complement safety checks
via recordings to mobile devices. By doing so, the best operating procedures will be reinforced, and protection is assured.
