Industrial management became vitally interested in safety engineering only after the coincidence of a low accident rate with increased output was recognized. Just so, exposure to intense noise is an industrial problem being by-passed by management because executives have not clearly realized the possibility of increased efficiency and production through the curtailment of noise. It is evident that in certain occupations associated with continual exposure to loud noise a deafness results which with long exposure is progressive and may be permanent. The worker's deafness, because of its innocuous origin in the little used high frequency range, does not stimulate executive interest as does a temporary injury, such as a broken arm, with which the relationship between cause and effect is more evident. Increased production, accentuating the use of tools such as the pneumatically operated hammer, the chipper and the riveting gun in confined areas, underlines the importance of the noise