People Affected: Other

Shooting and Hunting

Firearms emit high intensity sound in a very short period of time leading to high levels of hearing damage if the correct hearing protection is not worn. It is recommended to use more than one form of protection at a time when operating a firearm to ensure maximal protection. The levels of sound emitted and damage done also depend on the calibre of the firearm and whether it is fired indoors or outdoors.

Shooting ranges come in many shapes and sizes and can exist both outdoors and indoors. Whatever the range, a number of different types of firearms can be used on them. The nature of firing a firearm is such that it produces very high sound pressure levels even with small calibres. These levels cause impulsive sound to reach the inner ear and because of the characteristics of impulsive type sounds, i.e. very high sound levels occur in a matter of microseconds, our ears are more prone to hearing damage than with sounds emitted from operating machines.

The second part of the problem lies in the fact that because of the extreme high noise levels involved, even when hearing protectors are worn correctly, the amount of protection afforded may not be sufficiently adequate to protect the wearer against hearing damage. This is particularly true when shooting larger calibre weapons.

Typical Sound Intensity From Different Firearms Outdoors

Typical Sound Intensity From Different Firearms Indoors