Abstract

Previous studies of the noise exposure of police officers training at shooting ranges found peak exposures of 162 to 172 dB, depending on the type of weapon. These levels were considered to represent a very serious risk of permanent hearing damage. Comparison of noise levels inside and outside a shooting range revealed that acoustic treatment had little effect. Digital suppression of all acoustic reflections confirmed this result - the noise level generated by the direct wave remained dominant. The research also demonstrated the existence of high acoustic directivity, nonlinear distance-dependent sound field evolution, and inter-range variability.