Annual Report 2010/11 - Sonova

worKinG
– and communicating safely in tunnels
A project of superlatives: at 57 kilometers long,
the Gotthard Tunnel is the longest construction site in the world.
The project, which in the future will allow travelers to get
from Zurich to Milan in less than three hours, is scheduled
to be completed by 2017.
Strabag Switzerland received the contract to expand two
20-kilometer sections of the tunnel – a huge project involving
a number of challenges and high safety requirements
for workers. In particular, workers’ hearing has to be protected
in the tunnel. The drilling often generates sound levels
of around 100 decibels, which can permanently damage
the ear.
Strabag sought a solution that would effectively protect
hearing while still allowing the team to communicate
with each other and with their foreman. Their search led
them to the professional hearing protection solutions from
Phonak: the customized Serenity System has a special filter
that enables workers to talk to each other without removing
their hearing protection – eliminating any risk to their hearing,
even when jackhammers are in use.
The workers quickly got used to their new hearing protection,
which they wear for up to eight hours a day – while
drilling, making group decisions and even during short breaks
in the tunnel. Safety Manager Daniel Schäublin has thus
come one step closer to realizing his goal of ensuring that
all employees complete the project with their hearing intact.