Vital for employers who have staff regularly working in a loud environment and who are therefore protected by the Control of Noise at Work Regulation (2006), which ensures that workers’ hearing is protected from excessive noise at their place of work.

As an occupational health provider, we have seen our fair share of work-related conditions and know everything there is to know about them, so we thought it’d be handy to give our clients and their employees an insight into just what our services can prevent…

Factfile

• 150 new claims for Noise-Induced Hearing Loss disablement benefit were assessed in 2011.
• The LFS survey suggests that the average total case number of NIHL caused or made worse by work from 2009/10 – 2011/12 was 19 000 cases.

Did you know?

• Some 17,000 people in the UK suffer deafness, ringing in the ears or other ear conditions caused by excessive noise at work.

What?

Hearing tests are a must-do for companies who employ staff working in an environment which is exposed to noise, as they are at risk of Noise Induced Hearing Loss. Typical everyday sounds are at safe levels and therefore don’t damage our hearing.

However, long-lasting, loud sounds can be harmful (they can be damaging even when only heard briefly), ultimately breaking down sensitive structures in the inner ear and causing noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). NIHL can be immediate or it can take a long time to be noticeable, it can also be temporary or permanent and either affects one ear or both ears.

Who?

The following tools can cause noise induced hearing loss (NIHL):

• Hammering
• Drop forging
• Pneumatic impact tools etc
• Drills
• Chainsaws
• Explosive sources, guns, detonators or cartridge operated tools

As the table below shows, NIHL can affect people of any age, it is completely down to environmental factors – so if you work in a busy environment and receive occupational health care, your hearing will be monitored and NHL avoided. A young person listening to their iPod through earphones constantly will be unlikely to get their hearing checked and ultimately more at risk of NIHL.

APPLIANCES	SOUND LEVEL
The humming of a refrigerator	45 decibels
Normal conversation	60 decibels
Noise from heavy city traffic	85 decibels
Motorcycles	95 decibels
An MP3 player at maximum volume	105 decibels
Sirens	120 decibels
Firecrackers and firearms	150 decibels

 

What’s next?

Symptoms: You will slowly start to lose your hearing, constant exposure to loud noise may make it hard to realise when you’re hearing loss is becoming a real problem. Usually the signs are ignored or go unnoticed until they’re much more pronounced. Often, NIHL sufferers complain about things sounding distorted or muffled, requesting that the TV is turned up or that people speak clearer to them (when they’re being spoken to clearly in the first place). Tinnitus (a ringing or buzzing sound in the ears) is also caused by loud noise exposure.

Prevention: Practicing good ear health is the way to completely preventing any chance of suffering from NIHL.

If you’d like to know more about the occupational health services, training and consultancy that we provide, why not call 07720 956789 or if you like what you hear, follow us at @BusinessHealth_.