Performance Evaluation of Aviation Headset in Indian Army

Abstract

Passive hearing protective devices, referred also as ear defenders, work by obstructing noise propagation through the ear canal of the receiver. These gadgets are a popular choice as they offer high attenuation over a broad frequency range, though at times inadequately, especially in the low frequency region, as per International Standards of occupational exposure to noise. Upward masking of speech signal by low frequency noise also degrades the intelligibility of speech in noise that may lead to decrement in performance and hamper the safety of individuals working in noisy occupational environments. Active noise reducing hearing protective devices lend the possibility of avoiding these problems particularly where the major acoustic energy is centered at low frequencies, rendering these active contraptions a powerful tool in preventing noise induced hearing loss without hampering speech/oral communication. Accordingly, the present study was undertaken to investigate the potential of Telex Stratus 30 Headset in providing protection against noise induced hearing loss and to evaluate its efficacy in improving the speech intelligibility of our Armed forces personnel working in different noise spectral environments