Several companies were originally contracted by AlpTransit Gotthard AG to build the tunnel. One of them was Strabag Tunneling Switzerland, a subsidiary of global construction giant Strabag SE, whose specialities include mechanical tunnelling. Strabag Tunneling Switzerland\u2019s safety manager, Daniel Sch\u00e4ublin, explains: \u201cThe two tunnel boring machines, \u2018Gabi I\u2019 and \u2018Gabi II\u2019, used to bore the two single-track tunnels make a lot of noise. When fully operational, this can easily give rise to a noise level of 90 decibels or more. Once the tunnel had been excavated, the inner lining was executed with a layer of concrete in thicknesses of between 30 and 60 cm, depending on the geological profile. This lining work was carried out with steel formwork, which in turn exposed the workers to high noise levels at times. Furthermore, our teams use various power tools and equipment in a very confined space, such as pneumatic drills, which alone can generate a noise level of 100 decibels. Against this background and so as to actively protect workers\u2019 hearing from long-term damage, it is essential that employers and their employees can rely on reliable, high-quality hearing-protection systems.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
What was decisive in choosing Phonak\u2019s Serenity SPC <\/a>products was not only the best possible state-of-the-art hearing protection, depending on the needs of the individual worker, but also the possibility of combining it with existing radio communication equipment. The Serenity SPC hearing-protection system brought some decisive competitive advantages for foremen and supervisors to carry out their duties and, in particular, to communicate with the locomotive drivers. Furthermore, despite wearing hearing protection, employees needed to be able to communicate with their colleagues and at the same time to hear without any limitation approaching hazards such as construction machinery or the service train. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Hearing protection by Phonak: Serenity SPC<\/a> The customized, modular system provides static hearing protection for constant-noise-level environments. The attenuation level can be increased or reduced simply by replacing the acoustic filters. In addition, this special Serenity model can be combined with 2-way radios, thus enabling interference-free communication without the hearing protection having to be removed and without any risk of hearing damage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Strabag Tunneling Switzerland was positive about Serenity SPC from the outset. \u201cWhat I particularly liked about the system is not just that it protects your hearing but that workers can also communicate reliably with it and hear their working environment. That’s crucial for us\u201d, said Sch\u00e4ublin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOur foreman and locomotive drivers, who need to be able to communicate all day long using radios, can easily connect Serenity to their 2-way radios,” he went on to say. \u201cThey just connect the hand-held microphone they wear over their work suit to the Serenity system via a short cable. Our non-radio users simply wear the Serenity SP standard filters, which enables them to talk quite normally to their colleagues without having to remove the hearing protection.\u201d Serenity is now used by around 400 employees of Strabag AG Tunnelbau Schweiz. They share Sch\u00e4ublin’s consistently positive opinion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Serenity SPC, passive hearing protection with phone\/radio communication <\/strong> Employees\u2019 opinions<\/strong> Site train operator Dominic Gruber now uses Serenity SPC<\/a> in combination with his 2-way radio all day long:![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.phonak-communications.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/31\/2022\/10\/Serenity_Gotthard_2.jpeg?w=1024\")
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\u25ba perfect understanding of radio\/phone conversations even amid noise
\u25ba transmits only speech and suppresses ambient noise
\u25ba simply click out the fully modular eShells and use with another Serenity system
\u25ba static (passive) hearing protection with interchangeable acoustic filters
\u25ba custom-molded eShells
\u25ba lightweight, ergonomic and very comfortable to wear<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As tunnel worker Milorad Ristic commented:
\u201cI don\u2019t actually wear Serenity all the time, but when I\u2019m working in a noisy environment like this, I can easily wear it for eight and a half hours a day and so communicate reliably with my colleagues. I can also hear the service train approaching.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m very happy with the protection it offers. With Serenity, I can communicate very well with my colleagues, both by radio and directly. I wear it for eight hours a day, every day, and regularly clean it in the washing machine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n