A few months ago, I was inside a mechanic shop when the loudest sound I have ever been exposed to went off. The first store manager I spoke with would not tell me what happened, even though he said they have camera footage of the event. He also mentioned that the footage does not include sound.
About six weeks later, I spoke with the head general manager. He said that one of the mechanics, who was directly beside me, was "unbeading" or "unsealing" a tire from its rim. I later spoke with a couple of other mechanics from different shops, and they said that an air blaster, cannon blaster, or separate canister is often used to increase the air pressure of a tire in order to remove it from or place it onto the rim. This process creates a very loud blasting sound.
They also mentioned that they normally wear ear protection while doing this, as it can definitely make your ears ring. Unfortunately, I had just removed my earplugs shortly before the sound went off, so my ears were not protected.
My reactive tinnitus is now at an extreme level and gets louder as the day goes on. If anyone can give me a likely range of what the decibel level might have been, I would greatly appreciate it. To me, it sounded louder than a gunshot.
About six weeks later, I spoke with the head general manager. He said that one of the mechanics, who was directly beside me, was "unbeading" or "unsealing" a tire from its rim. I later spoke with a couple of other mechanics from different shops, and they said that an air blaster, cannon blaster, or separate canister is often used to increase the air pressure of a tire in order to remove it from or place it onto the rim. This process creates a very loud blasting sound.
They also mentioned that they normally wear ear protection while doing this, as it can definitely make your ears ring. Unfortunately, I had just removed my earplugs shortly before the sound went off, so my ears were not protected.
My reactive tinnitus is now at an extreme level and gets louder as the day goes on. If anyone can give me a likely range of what the decibel level might have been, I would greatly appreciate it. To me, it sounded louder than a gunshot.
