Is INTEGRAfit appropriate for use with Impulse and Impact noise?
First, let’s define Impact noise and Impulse noise. Impulse noise is that very fast, very loud noise one hears when firing a rifle, shotgun, handgun or other ordnance. Those most commonly exposed to occupational Impulse noise are military, law enforcement and other security personnel who periodically fire weapons. Impact noise is that loud, sharp “bang-bang-bang” noise that one would hear in manufacturing processes like metal stamping and rebar fabrication. It is most commonly thought of as metal-on-metal noise though it can really be produced by any material. It is not unusual that the background noise is fairly quiet with the “banging” process producing nearly all of the daily noise exposure. Impact and Impulse noise is very different from Continuous noise which is the source of exposure for most workers. This is important because using the TWA to calculate an Effective Protection Level (EPL) can result in under-protection if the noise environment is predominately Impact or Impulse n
