Creating Safe Business Environments™   

doseBadge for Noise at Work Measurement

• Noise at Work Regulations and Physical Agents (Noise) Directive 2003/10/EC
• Standards: IEC 61252 and ANSI S1.25
• No wires or controls on the badge to catch on machinery
• Simultaneous Leq, Lep,d (LEX,8h) and Peak
• "A" frequency weighting with "C" weighting for Peak
• Intrinsically Safe (ATEX and EEx) version available
• Strong cast alloy case
• Powered by an internal rechargeable battery
• Time history gives a graph of noise levels (Leq and Peak) and battery level
• Wide measurement range of 70 to 130 dB(A)
• Peak measurement range 120 to 140 dB(C)
• European ISO (3dB) for Noise at Work measurements
• North American OSHA (5dB), MSHA, AICHE and ACGIH options included
• 2 to 12 Year Warranty

The doseBadge system is the perfect solution for the measurement of a worker's exposure to noise.  The badge is small and light, with no cable or controls (all control is via the infra-red link).  There is also a huge cost saving where multiple dosemeters are required.

As the doseBadge has no display or controls, the Reader unit is used to calibrate, start and stop measurements and display the results. doseBadge measurement kits contain charging units that charge all the doseBadges at the same time.

If you are measuring noise to the Noise at Work regulations and to the new Physical Agents (Noise) Directive 2003/10/EC then the doseBadge is the ideal solution, especially when the worker is moving between machinery or locations.

The Badge

The doseBadge is the actual noise dosemeter that mounts on the worker's shoulder. It has the following features:

• Strong alloy case, light weight and protecting
• Microphone and noise processor built in
• Rechargeable battery for low cost operation
• Memory for storing results and time history
• Infra-red interface to talk to the Reader unit
• Intrinsically safe option

Noise Measurements Made

The main noise measurements taken by the doseBadge depend on the settings and the regulations being followed. To satisfy the European Noise at Work regulations, the following parameters are recorded:

• Lep,d - the worker's daily exposure to noise
• LAeq - the "A" weighted Leq, or average sound level
• LCPeak - the maximum "C" weighted Peak
• The LAeq every minute and the maximum C weighted Peak every minute

For European noise at work dosimetry, these are all the parameters that are needed and the doseBadge can be used with its default settings. However, if you ever have to measure for other standards, such as the American OSHA standards, the doseBadge can be configured to measure the TWA, LAvg, Dose % and others, with exchange rates of 3 dB, 4 dB or 5 dB. Different Criterion Times and Criterion Levels can also be set.

The doseBadge has dual channels, and can have Channel 1 configured to have different exchange (doubling) rate, time response, threshold, criterion level and criterion time. Channel 2 is fixed to the common ISO 3dB settings. This means that you can work to regulations such as OSHA but still record the ISO parameters too.

Noise Dose Exceedance Indicator

The doseBadge can be set to indicate when the noise dose has exceeded 100% (e.g. 85 dBA for 8 hours). Under normal conditions, the blue LED flashes once every second. When the noise exposure limit is exceeded, it flashes twice every second.

Charging the doseBadge

All doseBadges in the kit can be charged at the same time. They are fitted onto the charging block as shown. A full charge from flat takes just 2½ hours. When the battery is not flat (usually the case) it takes less time. doseBadges can also be given a shorter "top-up" charge when needed at short notice (only on the latest generation of charger, released May 2007).

Mounting the doseBadge

There are a number of different mounts for the doseBadge, including the standard clip-mount (shown on left) and optional helmet mount. The mounting options are screwed onto the bottom of the doseBadge and then fixed to the worker's clothing or helmet.

How Many doseBadges?

You can use any number of doseBadges with one Reader unit. Please see our Dosemeter Kit page for more information on the standard kit sizes. However, you can always purchase individual doseBadges to add to an existing kit.

 

doseBadge Reader

Each Complete Kit is supplied with a Reader unit. One Reader can be used to control as many doseBadges as you need.

The Reader is used to carry out the following functions:

• Reset and Calibrate the doseBadge
• Start the doseBadge running (after fitting it to the worker's shoulder)
• Stop the doseBadge at the end of the day
• Read and Display the noise measurement results
• Download to computer

Calibrating the Dosemeter

The Reader has a built in Calibrator, operating at 1 kHz, 114 dB.

To calibrate the dosemeter, simply push it into the calibration cavity and press the Cal button on the Reader. The calibration process is automatic and the results are recorded, along with any automatic adjustments that are made.

Configuring the doseBadge

The Reader unit can also be used to configure the doseBadge settings. The doseBadge can be configured to meet the ISO Q=3 (for European regulations) and OSHA Q=5 (for the American standards).

The Exchange Rate, Criterion Level, Criterion Time, Threshold and Slow Time Weighting can be set individually in order to meet other standards such as those published by MSHA, AICHE and ACGIH. See the Noise Regulations page for more information.

As the doseBadge has Dual Channels, it can have Channel 1 set to OSHA, MSHA, AICHE, ACGIH or similar, with Channel 2 fixed to measure with the common ISO 3dB settings.

Download the Dosebadge Datasheet (PDF, 822k)

Contact Midas

Midas Safety Services are happy to discuss your Sound and Noise Level Testing requirements and arrange a no-obligation meeting if that would be helpful.

Please contact us on 01454-632967 or email chrisgray@midaselectronics.co.uk.