SPL Dose Data Logger System

A method of using an earpiece in a work environment comprising the steps of:

• attenuating sound in the work environment by way of earpieces where the earpieces include an ear canal microphone (ECM) for measuring sound pressure level in an ear canal of a user;
• measuring sound pressure levels periodically in the ambient environment using the earpieces where a time and location is included with each sound pressure level measurement;
• storing each measured sound pressure level in memory;
• coupling the earpiece to a recharging system where the recharging system is coupled to a database;
• downloading the sound pressure levels stored in memory to the database when the earpiece is being recharged;
• analyzing the sound pressure levels in the database;
• and
• identifying potential noise compliance issues in the work environment.

A method of mapping comprising the steps of:

• attenuating sound by way of earpieces where the earpieces have at least one transducer;
• measuring sound pressure levels and SPL_Dose periodically in the ambient environment using the earpieces where a time and location of the measurement is included with the measurements and where SPL_Dose is measured using an ear canal microphone of the earpieces;
• storing the measured sound pressure levels and SPL_Dose in a database;
• and
• generating a map of SPL or SPL_Dose for a predetermined area over a predetermined time or predetermined time period.