Hearing loss is the most common occupational disease in the U.S., and often, people don’t realize it is happening until it is too late. October is National Protect Your Hearing Month and a great time to talk to your team about how they can protect their hearing while working.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 22 million workers are exposed to potentially damaging noise at work each year and 53% of noise-exposed workers report not wearing hearing protection.
Hearing loss occurs when loud sounds damage the hair cells in the inner ear. The vibrations from loud noise cause excessive movement of the hair-like structures of the cell, disrupting their ability to send signals to the brain as well as they should. Just two minutes of being exposed to a noise at 110 dBA can damage your hearing.
Exposure to loud noises can cause permanent hearing loss, difficulties communicating, tinnitus, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and poor mental health.
The good news is that hearing loss is preventable, and the trend of hearing loss among noise-exposed workers is decreasing.
How Loud is Too Loud?
Sounds over 70 dB can damage hearing over time. Someone whispering is around 30 dB and a normal conversation is 60 dB. Different lawn equipment can be anywhere from 75 to 110 dB, depending on the type of machine and whether it is electric or gas-powered.
The three factors that put people at risk of noise-induced hearing loss are:
- How loud the noise is
- How close they are to the noise
- How long they hear the noise
While you can listen to sounds at 70 dBA or lower for as long as you want, those at 85 dB can lead to hearing loss if listened to for more than eight hours at a time. Sounds over 85 dB damage hearing even faster.
According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the safe listening time is cut in half for every three-decibel rise in noise levels over 85 dB. For instance, it is safe to listen to 88 dB sounds for four hours, but if the sound goes up to 91 dB, the safe listening time decreases to two hours.
Some of the warning signs that noise is too loud is if you have to raise your voice to be heard, you can’t hear someone three feet away from you or if there is a ringing in your ears after hearing the noise.
You can also utilize the NIOSH SLM app to test noise levels at work. This helps workers make informed decisions about their noise exposure, which can prevent occupational hearing loss.
Preventing Hearing Loss
The best way to prevent hearing loss is to reduce your employees’ exposure to noise above 85 dB. If eliminating sources of noise is not possible, substituting quieter alternatives is the next step.
Engineering controls, such as performing maintenance regularly so equipment isn’t louder than normal, and administrative controls, like scheduling loud work for when fewer workers are present, are additional methods to prevent occupational noise-induced hearing loss.
Personal protective equipment (PPE) is the last line of defense when the other approaches cannot reduce noise to a safe level or when noise is over 85 dB, regardless of how long the noise lasts. OSHA requires employers to provide hearing protection to all workers exposed to 8-hour time-weighted average noise levels of 85 dB or above.
You must provide employees with a selection of at least one variety of hearing plug and one variety of hearing muff. Earplugs and earmuffs can cut noise down by 15 to 30 decibels. Employees should decide, with the help of a person trained to fit hearing protectors, which size and type of protection is most suitable for the working environment.
Show your employees how to use and care for their hearing PPE and supervise them on the job to ensure that they continue to wear them correctly.
Earplugs should go into the ears until they totally block the canal. Check earplug fit by counting out loud while slowly cupping and uncupping your hands over your ears. If it is a good fit, your voice should sound about the same as you cup and uncup your ears.
Earmuffs must fit completely over both ears. Earmuffs and earplugs can also be used together when noise levels are above 105 dB for eight hours or more. Avoid overprotection as it can make workers less aware of their surroundings or they might take off their hearing protection to hear properly.
Stress to your team what does not count as hearing protection, including cotton stuffed in ears, earbuds for listening to music or modified earmuffs or earplugs.
Why reinvent the wheel? Our Safe Company Program will help build a stronger safety culture, which will help reduce injuries and hazards, demonstrate your commitment to a safe workplace and lower your costs. This program is free to NALP members, so join today!
The post Safety Culture: Protect Your Team From Noise-Induced Hearing Loss appeared first on The Edge from the National Association of Landscape Professionals.