School Bus Driving and Tinnitus

hello,
I have a question- I have read an article about driving a school bus and the loud noise. I asking this question because the article said that the school bus can go up to 100 db when there are kids on the bus. Now I drive a van bus (the article was a big bus) and the kids that I have had in the past are very quiet. So my question is is the sound of the engine inside the bus too loud when it is me driving and either the kids are quiet or I am only on board. I know that they are supposed to pass inspection and not be above 85 db. I know that the back up alarm and the emergency exit alarm are loud. I can pop my ear plugs in when doing a fire alarm or baking up. I drove a van bus for almost 2 years and it has never affected my T but now that my T has changed a bit I am worried with school starting. I asked my ENT and he said to wear the ear plugs in the yard and that he did now know of any studies about driving the bus. I looked online and couldn't find anything- that does not mean it it not out there. I went for a test run today for about 15 minutes with the window cracked a bit and now it seems that my T is a bit worse (I think that that is my anxiety kicking in). I was able to hear the man sitting behind me and we were using normal voices. Will driving a bus cause any more damage to my ears. The kids that I get a quiet not like a big bus full of a football team!!
Thanks for all your replies in advanced.

 

I think youl be just finee.. Just have the plugs just incase

 

Ear plugs or just make ear plugs out of cotton.. it will help..

 

@Obo, as you know there are no guarantees in life - indeed even the OSHA criteria are set to protect 90% of the population - but that said, I am focusing on two sentences in your post:

"I was able to hear the man sitting behind me and we were using normal voices. Will driving a bus cause any more damage to my ears."

Dr. Jack Vernon had a rule of thumb about noise exposure: As long as you do not need to raise your voice in order to be heard by a person standing next to you, the noise level in the room is not loud enough to cause auditory damage.

Now that doesn't mean your tinnitus won't be temporarily aggravated; that can happen under any of a number of circumstances involving or not involving noise. But it sounds to me that you are quite safe in terms of auditory damage.

Dr. Stephen Nagler

 

Hey @Obo, also be aware: In some states, it is illegal to drive with both ears occluded, either by headphones or ear plugs. It's OK if its just one ear, like a phone bluetooth. I have received a ticket for this in Florida. Why its legal to drive around with your bass boosters thundering so hard it shakes you car, but illegal to wear headphones, I have no idea. But the judge didn't buy my argument and I paid the fine.

 

Thank you everyone for your replies!!
LadyDi I thought it was illegal to drive with anything but a blue tooth in your ears. I agree its legal to drive around with bass boosters blasting but no headphones. Crazy!!! I will not drive with the earplugs in. I was thinking of wearing them if I stop at a school with a bus load of kids who are noisy but now while I am driving so I dont get a ticket!!
Dr. Nagler- I have heard that if you can hear a person three feet away from you at a normal voice then it is not bed for your ears. Thank you I feel better knowing that no auditory damage.

 

This thumb rule doesn't convince me much. When I'm in the subway, I can perfectly hear the person talking further than 3 feet from me, but the noise around is still such and it's said to be as loud as around 90 db with all this metal on metal schreeching..I don't feel safe there at all and I always cover my ears.