Hearing Conservation Traditional Cache

It's about a 2 mile round trip hike to retrieve this cache. The rolling hills have elevation changes of about 200 feet, and it's recommended that you wear long pants and/or hiking boots when caching along this trail (Arastradero is loaded with rattlesnakes). A good walking stick would be a helpful tool for poking around the cache site. Please observe posted park hours.

Facing North you'll see and hear the rush of commuters making their way home on Highway 280. Turn to the South and you'll see the beautiful sights and hear the relaxing sounds of the Arastradero Preserve.

Many of the workers that you see hurrying home on Highway 280 today have spent their day working in facilities with high noise levels. Perhaps some of these workers have spent their day at one of the many wind tunnels located at nearby NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View? Fortunately, the wind tunnel workers participate in a Hearing Conservation Program that provides them with adequate training, annual audiometric testing, and an ample supply of hearing protection devices. Wind tunnel workers that follow the elements of the Hearing Conservation Program are essentially guaranteed that their career in a high noise environment will not result in hearing loss.

But the wind tunnel workers have many reasons other than potential hearing loss to protect themselves from wind tunnel noise exposure. Excessive exposure to noise may have adverse effects that go well beyond hearing loss, and may include:

- Difficulty understanding speech
- Annoyance
- Difficulty concentrating
- Reduced efficiency
- Low morale
- Adverse social behavior
- Quickened pulse rate
- Increased blood pressure
- Narrowing of the body's blood vessels
- Abnormal secretion of hormones
- Muscle tension
- Ulcers
- Loss of sleep
- Fatigue
- Stress reactions

We all deserve to enjoy the peaceful sounds of mother nature at Arastradero Preserve. Please protect your hearing at work and at home. Once it's lost, it's gone forever.

This is cache 1 of 6 in the "Beyond Safety" series of safety themed caches. Please post stories and pictures of your caching experiences that were more enjoyable because you've made the effort to protect your hearing. These stories and pictures may be used in an upcoming safety presentation at Ames Research Center.

Beyond Safety - Cache 1 of 6 - Hearing Conservation
Beyond Safety - Cache 2 of 6 - Eye and Face Protection
Beyond Safety - Cache 3 of 6 - Voluntary Protection Program
Beyond Safety - Cache 4 of 6 - BZ Walking Club
Beyond Safety - Cache 5 of 6 - Earthquake Preparedness
Beyond Safety - Cache 6 of 6 - Slips, Trips, and Falls

Congratulations - You've found the entire "Beyond Safety" cache series!