Whether noise is encountered on the job or in the community, most people are at risk of hearing loss if they don’t take precautions. The occupational and environmental health and safety professionals of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) believe that noise exposure is an omnipresent issue in our communities and workplaces.
Noise in the Workplace: A Pervasive Hazard
For millions of American workers, exposure to dangerous levels of noise is a daily fact of life. Over the last 20 years, government agencies have consistently identified Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) as one of the top concerns of workers. Some occupational and environmental health and safety experts even call noise the most pervasive hazard in the workplace. Yet occupational hearing loss is a particularly insidious hazard because it sneaks up on the worker.
Working Together on Prevention
Employees and owners can work together to reduce exposure to hazardous noise using three methods. First, the noise source should be removed or dampened if possible. Removing or reducing the noise source is ideal, but the process can be expensive and difficult.
The second method is less expensive but still somewhat difficult – move the worker away from the noise source.
While the first two methods may be difficult to complete because of worksite locations or equipment, the third method can be performed by all workers. They need to be protected from hazardous noise through the use of personal hearing protection devices (HPDs) and business owners can help by providing hearing loss training and HPDs to their workers regardless of the level of noise on the worksite. An environment can be considered noisy if workers must raise their voice to be heard by someone three to five feet away – an arm length. If an employee notices a ringing sensation or dull, flat sound after leaving the worksite, they most likely worked in a hazardous noise environment and should consider wearing HPDs.
There are many types of HPDs available but the best protector is the one the worker wears consistently (noise levels above 85 dB) and correctly to get the most protection and noise reduction. Workers should also remember to clean their hands when they insert HPDs to avoid chemicals, dirt and other irritants from getting into the ear canal. Finally, an HPD needs to be comfortable to ensure the worker is more likely to wear it. Employers should provide a variety of HPDs in different styles so workers can find the one that fits their ears comfortably.
HPDs take time to get used to just like any form of personal protective equipment and while HPDs will lower noise exposure, they will not eliminate it. None the less, consistent use of HPDs is essential in preventing noise-induced hearing loss.
When Should You Worry About Hearing Loss?
According to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communications Disorders, you may be suffering from hearing loss if you experience three or more of the following symptoms:
- You have problems hearing over the telephone.
- You have trouble following the conversation when two or more people talk at the same time.
- People often complain that you turn up the volume too high on the television or radio.
- You have to strain to understand conversation.
- You have trouble hearing in a noisy background.
- You often find yourself asking people to repeat themselves.
- Many people you talk to seem to mumble or speak unclearly.
- You misunderstand what others are saying and respond inappropriately.
- You have trouble understanding the speech of women and children. (Women and children typically speak in higher frequencies, which are the first frequencies to be affected by NIHL.)
- People get annoyed because you misunderstand what they say.
Reducing the growing incidence of noise-induced hearing loss in the workplace requires a focus that goes beyond the job and gets people to take noise seriously in all aspects of their lives. Many workers don’t realize or understand what cumulative exposure to dangerous sound levels can do. Not all environmental noise emanates from the workplace. In fact, recreation can create a pretty big racket. Some of the loudest sources include motorcycles (95-110dB), sporting events (105 dB), fitness clubs (105 dB) music through headphones (100 dB), snowmobiles (100 dB), live music concerts (120 dB) and firecrackers (150 dB).
Getting workers to care requires regular, consistent and repeated messages about the danger of noise and the nature of hearing loss. Communication is not only essential to functioning on the job, it is essential to our human condition.
Additional Resources on Noise and Hearing Conservation
The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) publishes several books that focus on noise and hearing protection. The Noise Manual, Fifth Edition, is a substantive reference work edited by 16 hearing conservation experts. The Noise-Vibration Problem-Solution Workbook, by Larry H. Royster and Julie D. Royster, includes more than 400 solved problems with detailed problem discussions. Both are available at www.aiha.org/marketplace.htm.
If you need to communicate with workers or the public about noise, AIHA’s consumer brochure “Protect Yourself From Noise-Induced Hearing Loss” may be helpful to you. The full text is available online in English and Spanish at www.aiha.org; click on “Consultants/Consumers” and then “Consumer Brochures.” Printed copies are also available through the AIHA online marketplace at www.aiha.org/marketplace.htm. A consultants listing of industrial hygienists that include specialists in hearing conservation and noise reduction is also available on the site at www.aiha.org/Content/AccessInfo/consult/consultantsearch.htm
AIHA’s Noise Committee is a group of experts committed to providing a forum for disseminating and exchanging ideas and information about the effects of exposure to noise and vibration, noise and vibration control and methods of hearing conservation. To learn more about the committee, contact Committee Chair Mike McDaniel, MPH, CIH [email protected]. Several other groups offer education and resources related to noise and hearing conservation:
- The Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation: www.caohc.org.
- The National Hearing Conservation Association: www.hearingconservation.org
- NIOSH: www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise/
- OSHA: www.osha.gov/SLTC/noisehearingconservation/index.html
As AIHA’s director of scientific and technical initiatives, Latko is responsible for overseeing the association’s 32 technical committees, aligning their output with the AIHA strategic plan and significantly contributing to AIHA’s strategic direction. She also takes the lead on building alliances with other OEHS organizations and identifying emerging issues and trends that will impact the IH profession.