(HealthDayNews) -- If you work around heavy machinery, which job do you think is the least damaging to your ears: cranes, forklifts or dump trucks?
According to the American Journal of Industrial Hygiene, truck drivers, power-shovel and fork-lift operators are normally exposed to a noise level of 90 to 92 decibels all day long. That's an average, because they get to move away from the machines now and then, so the noise isn't constant.
But the crane operator sits in relative quiet. The noise level in an insulated cab is about 85 decibels.
However, even if you do get to operate the crane, you may still be at risk of damaging your hearing. That's because the safe level for long-term noise exposure is only 75 decibels.
