EB News April-May 2013 - Electric Boat Corporation

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KEEP A PAIRFOR FUTUREWEARHEALTHMATTERSBy Carol Kisner, Au.DElectric Boat AudiologistIam referring to earmuffs or any otherform of hearing-protection device. Sincemost of us are creatures of habit, if wemake hearing protection easily availablewe are likely to use it when necessary.Take our last blizzard. How manyof us were using snow blowers? Thesemachines run well above the noise levelthat can damage our hearing. And manyof us were exposed to hours of hazardousnoise during this one storm. If wehad hearing protection located on or nearthe snow blower, we would likely haveremembered to use it.What we do in our lives outside of workcan expose us to hearing damage withoutour knowing it. Have you been to anaction movie lately? Wow, are they loud– and I don’t see anyone wearing hearingprotection. Who would think you’re gettingdosed with loud hazardous noise byjust going to a movie? Some movie goerswill even experience a muffled dull sensationor ear ringing when the film is over.Did you ever notice how high you raisethe volume on your car radio when youhave the window open? Just think of theamount of loud noise that is reaching yourear through the combination of wind noiseand radio noise.In October 2008, the National Instituteon Deafness and Other CommunicationDisorders (NIDCD), part of the NationalInstitutes of Health, launched “It’s a NoisyPlanet. Protect Their Hearing.” The NoisyPlanet campaign is designed to increaseawareness among parents of children ages8 to 12 (“tweens”) about the causes andprevention of noise-induced hearing loss(NIHL). With this information, parentsand other caring adults can encouragechildren to adopt healthy habits that willhelp them protect their hearing for life.NIDCD is focusing its campaign on theparents of tweens because children at thisage are becoming more independent anddeveloping their own attitudes and habitsrelated to their health. They also arebeginning to develop their own listening,leisure and work habits. Consequently,the tween years present an opportunity toeducate children about their hearing andhow to protect it.When parents, teachers, or supervisorson the job remind us about protecting ourhearing, hopefully we listen. Don’t let itbe too late to get the message. Hearingloss from noise damages the sensitivenerves in the hearing organ. Once thosenerves have been damaged the hearingcannot be naturally restored. NIHL iscompletely preventable. Yet approximately26 million Americans between theages of 20 and 69 have high-frequencyhearing loss from overexposure to loudnoises at or outside of work. More than 30million Americans are exposed to dangerouslevels of noise on a regular basisaccording to the NIDCD.What can you do to ensure you aresufficiently protected against potentiallydamaging noise?The way hearing-protection devices fitour ears is critical to their effectiveness.Here a few helpful tips to make sure youare inserting your earplugs correctly.1.Roll the entire earplug as small asyou can. Be careful not to put anyridges in the earplug. You must apply a sufficientamount of pressure to get the earplugsmall enough for insertion. You can use twohands or roll the plug between your palms.Reach around your head with your2. opposite hand, grab the middle toupper portion of your outer ear and pull.This will open your ear canal for insertionof the plug. You must continue to roll theplug in the hand you are going to use toinsert the plug to keep it compressed theentire time.Insert the plug in your ear as far as3. it will go. You may feel a twinge.This means you have reached the boneyportion of your ear canal – you are nottouching your eardrum. The earplug cansit against that bone without causing anydiscomfort or danger. You do not need tohold the plug in your ear.To assess the fit, look in a mirror4. if possible. The plug should notbe hanging out of your ear canal; onlya small portion of the plug should be12 12 | | ELECTRIC BOAT NEWS | | APRIL/MAY FEBRUARY 2012 2013
showing. To check if there is any leakagefrom the earplug, put the cup of your handover your ears while you are exposed toloud noise and quickly cover and uncoveryour ears. There should be no differencein the loudness of the sound. If the soundgets louder and softer while you are coveringand uncovering your ears then theearplugs may be leaking.If the earplugs don’t fit properly, look5. for another type or size and repeatthe process. There are many differentstyles and sizes to fit almost every earcanal including those for small childrenor adults. There is always the option ofprofessionally made custom earplugs forhard-to-fit ears.If you try earmuffs, make sure6. nothing breaks the seal aroundyour ear when the muffs are on, such asglasses, hair or hats..If the noise is extremely loud and7. you want to protect yourself sufficientlyyou can always use double protection– earplugs and muffs worn together.8.Most importantly, reduce the noiseat its source if possible. Distanceyourself from the noise source. Turndown the noise when possible; use a barrierto shield yourself from the noise.Most of the staff at the Yard Hospitaland Quonset Point Dispensary are certifiedto assess and teach proper hearingprotectiondevice insertion and use. Asalways I am happy to work individuallywith anyone who requests a personalhearing-protection fitting. We are nowusing a meter as part of our normalhearing conservation training to measurethe effectiveness of an individual’shearing protector. You can reach me at860-433-6107, or the Yard Hospital at860-433-3470.Be smart about how you interact withloud noise and listen carefully; do whateveris necessary to protect and preserveyour hearing.RETIREES100 Frederick W. Smith III47 yearsOperations Supervisor100 John R. Vieira13 yearsIsm-Lathes Large 1/C241 Chester P. Perretti42 yearsO S Electrician 1/C242 John E. Burdick III11 yearsO S Machinist 1/C242 Francis X. Donohue33 yearsO S Machinist 1/C242 Robert J. Pointbriand30 yearsO S Machinist 1/C242 Gordon F. Wright22 yearsO S Machinist 1/C251 Walter E. Startz40 yearsPainter W/L251 Beverly J. Webb32 yearsPainter252 Diane Donovan26 yearsCarpenter 1/C252 Paul L. Laflamme36 yearsOperations Supervisor272 Jack L. Penney25 yearsSto Technician 1/C274 Craig R. Coppage39 yearsMgr Overhaul &Repair330 Paul F. Freudenstein36 yearsPlanning Spec, Matl341 John J. Gullotti31 yearsEngineer, Principal341 Brenda Hoffman31 yearsT/A Chem/Metl Lab355 Anthony J. Alfieri40 yearsProd Planner355 Michael J. Gallant25 yearsPlanning Spec Sr355 Daniel Kirk39 yearsSr Mfg Rep404 Edmond N. Fredsbo Jr.46 yearsConfig Mgmt Spec408 Dennis A. DeFelice37 yearsEngineer, Principal416 Kenneth Merchant23 yearsEngineering Asst Sr434 Robert Paquette36 yearsEngineer Senior438 Sarah A. Flora34 yearsSupervisor, Engineer438 Ronald D. Piccoli35 yearsEngineer, Principal445 Daniel J. Boski39 yearsProgram Rep447 Michael Dunphy35 yearsEng Suppt-Material449 James R. Mack36 yearsEng Specialist452 Danie E. Duzant36 yearsPiping Sr Desgnr452 James A. Golas32 yearsPipe S/Des Sr Spec453 Murray S. Hill23 yearsMech Sr Designer453 Alfred E. Seifert Jr.33 yearsMech S/Des Sr Spec456 Gilbert L.Cunningham39 yearsElect Sr Designer456 William Giustini40 yearsDesign Tech-Elect456 Eugenie M. Picard21 yearsElect Sr Designer456 Luis A. Valentin17 yearsElect Sr Designer459 Charles Mills40 yearsDesign Tech-Arrgt459 Edward D. Morgan44 yearsDesign Tech-Struct462 Dennis A. Tetreault40 yearsPrjcord Ta Spc467 Richard E. Murphy21 yearsEngineering Specialist472 Richard Sheridan Jr.32 yearsEngineering Specialist485 Mark F. Stanley33 yearsEngineer, Principal492 Robert A. Calabro43 yearsEngineer, Principal501 Alexander MacDonald10 yearsProd Planner501 Ralph H. Perry42 yearsConstruct Mech W/L604 Gordon A. Pierce21 yearsDesign Tech-Elect642 David A. Lefebvre36 yearsChf of Human Res704 Stephen L. Gunderson8 yearsGeneral Foreman705 Andrew Prescott22 yearsPlanning Specialist706 William B. McCaull Jr.38 yearsProd Planner707 Gary P. Chaney32 yearsOperations Supervisor707 Thomas R. O’Meara32 yearsManufacturing Tech737 Gene Fujimoto27 yearsPrincipal Engineer795 Robert Urbani Jr.36 yearsSuperintendent, Area901 Edward Hobin36 yearsInstall Tech III902 Gerald E. Chapdelaine32 yearsInstall Tech III904 James Cimaglia34 yearsPipe PreparationMechanic904 Joseph Silva Jr.38 yearsPipewelder Appr920 Stephen J. Whaley37 yearsM/T Prod Supp III921 Francis R. Crump38 yearsStruct Fab Mech I922 Craig Lufkin8 yearsInstall Tech III935 Robert J. Fitz37 yearsProd Supp Tech III935 Gary Smith37 yearsQual Cntrl Analyst Sr962 Alan R. Beaudoin37 yearsMaint Tech I962 John Santos26 yearsMaint Tech IELECTRIC BOAT NEWS | | APRIL/MAY FEBRUARY 2012 2013 | | 13
Page 1 and 2: ELECTRIC BOAT NEWS | EMPLOYEE NEWSL
Page 3 and 4: GENERAL DYNAMICS REPORTSFIRST-QUART
Page 5 and 6: and get them out to the vendor base
Page 7 and 8: development and introduction ofthe
Page 9 and 10: ELECTRIC BOAT’S HAWAII TEAM DELIV
Page 11: NEW TRUCK ADDS TO FIRE FIGHTING CAP
Page 15 and 16: service awards50 YEARS431 Stanley T

EB News April-May 2013 - Electric Boat Corporation

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