One of the workplace hazards that we assess and try to alleviate in many organizations is workplace noise. By this, I don’t mean workplace chatter that tends to distract employees at work, but noise at high levels sustained over the majority of the day in which a worker is exposed and potentially at risk for hearing loss. What normally comes to mind is factories, lumber mills, construction sites and other heavy duty industry. In these environments, there are efforts that can be made to reduce the noise level through engineering changes such as reducing the occurrance of metal on metal. However, in some instances where the noise level can’t be reduced significantly, exposure to the noise itself should be reduced. Like workplace stress and fatigue in shiftworkers, this must be a shared responsibility for both the employer and the workers themselves.
Take for instance the music and entertainment industry where noise regulations do not take a back seat just because the “loud noise levels” are actually the end product rather than a hazerdous by-product of producing goods. These workplaces are considered any place where live or recorded music is played. In this trade, workers from musicians and DJs to roadies and nightclub staff are exposed to high levels of noise over a prolonged period of time on a daily basis.
So how do you know you’re at risk? Hearing loss, which is permanent, might occur if you are exposed to a constant stream of noise levels for the majority of your workday and you find you have to raise your voice to speak to a co-worker (or client) to make yourself heard and especially if you find that by the end of your workday, noises are coming from the back of your head like you have cotton stuffed in your ears.
What steps must both an employer and employee take to reduce the risk of hearing loss? Organizations must first test noise levels and then attempt to reduce the noise levels if at all possible. In cases, such as the music industry, where adjusting noise levels is not enough or unavoidable, reducing exposure is critical. After determining that a workplace puts their workers at risk, an organization must take steps such as providing hearing protection and making its use mandatory or reduce the amount of time workers are exposed to the hazard as well as providing training and education to safety representatives and workers . At the same time, workers must also take responsibility. They should make sure they know where to obtain hearing protection, ensure that it is working properly, report issues to employers, safety representatives, or their doctor and have their hearing checked regularly.
If you are looking for more information, whether you’re an employer or worker in a field where there is significant exposure to noise, the UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety are good places to start to find direction. Also, look for a series of articles to be produced starting in this Fall 2009′s Ergowire, by EWI Works.