If you work in a noisy environment or know someone who suffers from hearing loss, you may need to know these terms common in hearing loss prevention. Basic terminology: Acoustic trauma is a single incident that causes a sudden hearing loss. Examples of acoustic trauma are blows to the head and loud explosions. Decibel ( dB ) is the unit that expresses the intensity of a sound. The threshold for discomfort is between 85 and 95 dB and the threshold for pain is between 120 and 140 dB. A dosimeter measures sound levels over a specified interval. Hertz ( Hz … Continue reading →