Bear with me and before you start reading any further. Think of your favourite song ...you know the one, when the first few bars play and it connects you with a memory or a feeling. You smile and your mood is suddenly improved. Hum a few bars - how does it make you feel? Happy? Relaxed? Excited? Keep that feeling in mind...
At uvex it is our fundamental belief that everyone should go home from work in the same condition they went to work in. Our mission of protecting people influences every aspect of our daily operations and is in our DNA.
This includes protecting your hearing. Common sense, right? I mean, don’t get me wrong, we should be protecting our hearing in our personal lives too, as once it is gone it is gone but, no one should lose their hearing by going to work. No-one.
I guess the “big questions” are what, why and how? So, sit back, relax, keep humming your favourite tune (maybe put it on in the background whilst you read) and let’s go through, the “what”, the “why” and the “how”:
What exactly is hearing loss?
Did you know there are 4 types of hearing loss?
Conductive hearing loss is often temporary and caused by infections, ear wax, foreign bodies etc. and generally can be treated or clears up naturally. (when we speak about hearing loss and say “when it’s gone it’s gone, we are talking about sensorineural, mixed and neural hearing loss which are permanent).
Sensorineural hearing loss is permanent and is the most common type of hearing loss, either caused by noise or presbycusis (old age). In most cases, the hair cells that send the signals to the brain are damaged or have died naturally.
Mixed hearing loss is a combination of conductive and sensorineural hearing loss which often results in partial impairment.
Neural hearing loss is damage to the auditory nerve (the nerve connecting the inner ear with the brain) and is permanent.
Profound deafness is defined as not being able to hear sounds below 95 dB1? To put that into context, a jack hammer 15m away is about 90 dB! That’s LOUD right?
OK, so that is the biological and physiological explanation, but in ‘real’ terms, what is hearing loss?
Hearing loss is coming home after a hard day at work and the new season of your favourite show has just dropped on your streaming service and you struggle to hear it or can now only follow it with subtitles. Hearing loss is going on a first date, and you go to a busy restaurant, and you can’t follow the conversation. Hearing loss is asking people to repeat themselves, perhaps in meetings when there is background noise, because you couldn’t hear the first time. Hearing loss is not being able to hear your child’s, or grandchild’s, first words
Let’s tackle the “why”?
You may agree that we have tackled the “why” above, and yes, they are very good reasons why we should protect our hearing. But also, did you know that noise induced hearing loss is the most common, permanent, and irreversible injury in the world?2
In work environments in the UK, it is a legal requirement stated in the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to protect employees whilst at work.
Section 2.1 “It shall be the duty of every employer to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees.” 3
Having said that, in the UK alone there have still been 11,000 cases per year since 20204 of people who have hearing problems caused or made worse simple by going to work, Resulting in 85 cases in 2022 of occupational deafness5.
That is 84 cases too many, don’t you think? (Especially as [at work] it is completely preventable, but we will get on to that).
It is a legal requirement, but beyond that there is a moral responsibility. However, if that is not enough, there are also monetary implications for any company that does not put the health of its workforce as a priority. We’ve all heard or seen those ads “Have you suffered noise induced hearing loss at work? Well then you could be owed thousands!” …. Sad, but unfortunately, very true.
Did you know a compensation claim for slight or occasional tinnitus with slight industrial noise induced hearing loss can range from £7,000 to £12,500 per case? And total deafness caused by work can be anywhere from £90,000 - £109,000.
Companies have a responsibility to their employees, but employees also have a responsibility to protect themselves, and colleagues too.
The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
Section 7 (a) It shall be the duty of every employee while at work— to take reasonable care for the health and safety of himself and of other persons who may be affected by his acts or omissions at work.
When it comes to noise specifically, the Control of Noise at Work at Work Regulations 2005 details the duties of the employer, and the employee.
What can you do to protect your hearing at work?
Education is paramount; understanding noise, the regulations, the standards, how to select the correct hearing protection and fit hearing protection properly, as well as the consequences of not doing so, are imperative for the company and the wearer. There are a few things to highlight that are useful to know and implement but the below is only the start of a comprehensive hearing conversation programme.
The first step would be to understand the noise you have in your workplace. This can be achieved by having a noise assessment and survey undertaken by a competent person. Noise survey results will show the daily or weekly exposure levels, the peak exposure levels, and the frequencies of the noise. This will allow decisions to be made on factual information and ensure the right level of protection is achieved - and with the case of noise, not to overprotect.
With most PPE, if you overprotect, this is not necessarily a negative thing, it increases the safety of the wearer, but with hearing protection it is just as important not to overprotect as it is to not under protect. Overprotection has negative consequences of its own. It can lead to the wearer not being able to communicate effectively, not hear alarms or other emergency signals, or even moving machinery, which could result in an injury, or worse. The impact of the individual’s wellbeing also needs to be taken into consideration.
Overprotection could also lead to the wearer potentially feeling isolated and have negative consequences for their wellbeing. It is important to select the correct hearing protection to get the correct balance of protecting by bringing the noise to a safe level, but not overprotecting and causing isolation
But what is a “safe level"?
At a daily or weekly exposure of 80 dB the employer must provide information and training and make hearing protection available, and the employee has the right to request suitable hearing protection.
At a daily or weekly exposure of 85 dB the employer is required to take reasonably practicable measures to reduce the noise. If the noise cannot be controlled the use of hearing protection is mandatory. The employee has a duty to wear the hearing protection and report any defects.
Noise must not exceed a daily or weekly exposure of 87 dB or a peak sound pressure of 140 dB.
