25 Feb 2017
An estimated 20,000 people working during the last year alone suffered from Noise Induced Hearing Loss. Tim Turney, technical product manager, discusses the long lasting impact this condition can have, and how employers must put monitoring processes in place to help identify the issue.
Action on Hearing Loss reports that there are more than 11 million
people in the UK with some form of hearing loss; accounting for a sixth
of the population. By 2035, this figure is set to rise, with 15.6
million people affected by hearing loss. NIHL was first seen as in issue
in an occupational context in the early 1700s, amongst copper workers
in Italy. In the 19th century, Thomas Barr coined the phrase
‘Boilermaker’s Ear’, describing the peculiar series of symptoms felt by
shipmakers located on the River Clyde, caused by the impact of
metal-on-metal when riveting. Given that the exposure was first
acknowledged over three hundred years ago, why is this wholly
preventable condition still so prevalent in workplaces today?
At a loss
Since the introduction of the Control of Noise at Work Regulations in
Great Britain in April 2006, employers have a responsibility to protect
the hearing of their workers.
We actually hear with our brain, not our ears, and so when hearing
loss occurs, connections in the brain that respond to sound become
re-organised. Though individual experiences vary, the effects tend to
begin small, and progress as the hearing loss worsens. For most, it
begins with not being able to hear simple sounds clearly – with people
in a close proximity sounding as if they are mumbling. Social
situations eventually become increasingly difficult and can result in
changing relationships with co-workers, managers, friends, and family.
Employees with hearing loss are fundamentally more vulnerable in the
workplace, unware of sounds around them, resulting in safety accidents
potentially occurring. The inability to communicate with employers on
workplace issues could also eventually impact the likelihood of further
training in a role.
Tinnitus, often called ‘Ringing in the Ears’, is a loud ringing noise
that is commonly associated with hearing loss. This annoying buzzing or
ringing noise in the ears can eventually disrupt sleep and
concentration levels, meaning that the individual is not alert during
the day. Unsurprisingly, people suffering with hearing loss faced with
such obstacles on a daily basis can suffer from depression as a result.
Perhaps there would be a different attitude to occupational deafness
issues if the physical impact was more severe - – if worker’s ears were
to bleed, or if hearing loud sounds was a very painful instant
experience. For those with the condition, it truly is all-encompassing.
Get Monitoring
Monitoring is key to preventing workplace NIHL and there are a range
of solutions available depending on the risk and requirements of the
environment in question. Taking on a new responsibility to tackle this
can feel daunting. It can be effectively carried out by appropriately
trained health and safety professionals, or occupational hygienists,
both able to advise on key actions that must be taken to manage the
monitoring programme going forward. Importantly, monitoring must be
conducted in a way so that the comfort or productivity of the worker is
not impacted.
When starting workplace noise monitoring, you must ask yourself 5 key questions:
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