Approximately 22 million American workers suffer from some sort of hearing loss. Once you lose, even partial, hearing you can’t get it back. To help prevent hearing damage to workers on the job, you need to take steps to assess noise levels in the work environment, and institute administrative, engineering, and PPE (personal protective equipment) practices for your municipality.
Administrative Controls:
First, determine what work areas or types of work create unacceptable noise levels. Areas like rooms with loud machines or workers using mowers, weed eaters, and jackhammers. Most everybody has a smartphone nowadays; some apps can be downloaded onto a phone that gives very accurate decibel readings. Any work area or job where a worker is exposed to 85 decibels or more in 8 hours must have a Hearing Conservation plan. Second, the workers need to be advised of these hearing hazards and trained on how to protect themselves from the hazards. Third, signs need to be placed in hearing hazard work areas and on equipment reminding workers to take precautions, like wearing appropriate hearing protection. Finally, employers must provide hearing protection and any required engineering controls. Employers can also seek assistance in determining if employees have hearing issues by having them tested. Many of our Oklahoma Career Techs have mobile hearing testing units they can bring to your municipality.
Engineering Controls:
Noisy work environments may need to have special sound-reducing wall and floor materials installed, or doors to dampen sound. Signs must be placed in obvious areas to warn of hearing hazard conditions.
PPE (personal protective equipment):
Workers required to wear PPE in the form of earplugs or earmuffs must be supplied with this equipment at no cost to themselves. This PPE must be readily accessible and come in several different types (disposable earplugs, re-useable earplugs, and earmuffs); individuals have different tastes and comfort levels. Employees need to be trained about how to use and maintain the pipe. Supervisors are responsible for making sure workers are properly using their PPE and following safety procedures when working in high-noise rooms or with high-noise equipment.
A worker’s compensation claim for hearing loss can be very expensive, and other dangers to workers and co-workers alike can increase the risk of injury or damage to equipment. At least do the basics – determine where high noise situations are, provide controls, and provide PPE, and supervise its use, to protect your workers.
