3 Minute Guide to Work Related Hearing Loss

According the HSE (Health and Safety Executive) more than one million workers in the UK are at risk of suffering industrial deafness. It is the responsibility of the employer to ensure that this risk is kept as low as possible.  Hearing damage can occur even from very short exposure to high-decibel noise. It is critical that employers protect the hearing of their workers by adhering to health and safety rules and regulations, in addition to providing hearing protection.

Some jobs put workers at greater risk than others. These include those that are in the transport industry, the mining industry, factories and quarrying. Jobs such as road working can mean that workers are subjected to the noise made by heavy machinery, pneumatic tools and cement mixers on a daily basis. It is not an attractive prospect to reach retirement age, and not be able to hear your friends or family due to years of hearing abuse.

In the 1970s and 1980s, health and safety regulations were at a lower level and workers from these decades were exposed to louder noise without the same level of protection. They often just shouted to others if they wanted to be heard when they were on the factory floor or whilst loading the cargo onto airplanes that had their engines running. However, if you are in an environment where you have to shout to be heard when somebody is less than 3 feet away from you, you are in danger of suffering from hearing damage.

Professionals such as engineers and shipbuilders are also subjected to the noise of heavy machinery as a daily occurrence.

Employers are usually aware of the risk that their employees are taking. They will most often do all that they can to reduce this risk. Employees should be trained in the importance of wearing protective hearing equipment and what they need to do to minimise their exposure to noise.

All employers have a legal responsibility to every employee. They are required to take regular measurements of noise levels, provide suitable protective equipment and training to minimise exposure. If you as an employee are not provided with adequate training and equipment, and you go onto suffer from hearing problems, then you are quite likely eligible to claim for financial compensation.

If your employer is at fault, then they should be held legally responsible for the damage that they have caused. Hearing loss is not a natural part of the aging process, it is most often caused by work related noise.

To find out how you can make a claim, contact our friendly legal specialist team on 08000 149 569.

Workplace Noise Exposure and It’s Worrying Results

When you think about the workplace dangers in the manufacturing or construction industry, you would naturally think about using heavy machinery, toxic chemicals and other dangerous equipment. What doesn’t come to mind is the danger of the sometimes very loud and continual noise.

Physical damage caused by the sound of heavy machinery or transport may not effect an immediately visual injury, however the long term consequences of exposure can be devastating. Years of being battered by loud noise can result in permanent damage to the ears.

This permanent damage can manifest in the form of tinnitus. This hearing condition has symptoms such as ringing in the ears, a constant hum and difficulty hearing voices. Symptoms like these can mean that it’s difficult to communicate with family members and it can even be difficult to get employment.

Under these circumstances, it is advised that sufferers discuss their situation with a legal professional. If the damage to your ears has occurred through no fault of your own, or you were not provided safety equipment, you could be eligible to make a claim for compensation.

Financial payments can range from £4,000 to over £30,000 and will be calculated on a number of factors including the impact that hearing damage will have on your ability to seek future employment. Psychological impact will also be one of these considerations as you will have to endure hearing difficulties for the rest of your life.

Even if you have a great relationship with your employer, you should still seriously consider claiming financial compensation for hearing damage. Any payment that you receive will be organised through the liabilities insurance of your employee and not out of their own pocket.

How to Prevent Industrial Hearing Loss

Noise induced industrial hearing loss can occur from being exposed to noise pollution over a long period of time or from a sudden and very loud noise in the workplace.

There are several occupations that can expose a worker to continual noise. These include:

• Musician
• Agricultural related jobs
• Transport related jobs
• Manufacturing jobs
• Construction industry jobs

Workers who have continual and prolonged exposure to machinery such as jackhammers, chainsaws and industrial machinery need to protect their ears from damage. This can be achieved by wearing ear protection. This can be in the form of electronic earmuffs or ear plugs. The former can cancel out or reduce noise that surpasses the 82db threshold.

Even workers who operate a vacuum cleaner are at risk of suffering some form of hearing damage. Power tool users are another at risk group of workers. Using a power tool for just 30 minutes a day can cause some form of hearing damage.

These devices can also amplify low level noises such as speech so that they can be worn in situations where responsive team work is critical to the task at hand.

Safety training is another tool that should be used in the workplace to prevent industrial deafness. Workers have been protected by the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 1995 that put responsibility on employers to provide safety training and equipment to protect them from suffering from hearing loss.

Under these same regulations employers need to carry out regular risk assessments to understand what their workers are coping with on a daily basis.

Even with proper safety training workers can still sometimes decide not to use the protection that is provided to them. They may not want to wear equipment due to how it looks or their work may be hindered by not being able to engage with other team members. It’s the responsibility of a worker to wear safety equipment and to make the best use of the training that is provided to them.

Employees should also inform their employer of any unnoticed hearing hazards. Not only will this protect you against being exposed to further danger but you will be able to protect co-workers against the risk of industrial hearing loss.

If you are working with a loud piece of machinery, try to position yourself so that you are not in the direct path of noise from the machine to your ear. Industrial hearing loss can affect every aspect of your life and it needs to be avoided.

What Are Employers Responsibilities with Regards to Industrial Hearing Loss?

In recent years more focus has gone onto employers when it comes to protecting their employees against excessive noise and the potential risk of developing industry hearing loss. In 2005 the Control of Noise at Work Regulations were introduced to the workplace. These regulations clearly lay out stipulations that an employee has to adhere to when it comes to noise exposure in the workplace. With over 1 million of UK workers being exposed to loud noise in the workplace, the risk of suffering industry related hearing loss is high.

Now employers are responsible for:

• Assessing the risks of noise exposure to employees in the work place
• Taking action in order to reduce noise exposure and risk to industrial hearing loss
• Providing suitable and adequate hearing protection to employees if noise cannot be reduced through other means.
• Ensuring that there is no exceeding of noise above the legal limits
• Providing employees with the relevant training, information and instruction
• Carrying out health surveillance if there is a risk to health
• Identify areas where it is mandatory to wear ear protection such as ear plugs and mark these areas with signs

These requirements only apply to workers who are exposed to a high level of noise, and not those exposed to a low level that is not deemed to pose a risk to hearing. It also does not extend to people in a non-work activity.

As part of the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, all noise is measured in decibels or dB. A high level of noise is specified as being over 85 decibels. To give you an idea of how loud this is – if you were standing 4 feet from a colleague and you have to shout to be heard – then it is quite likely that the noise you are being exposed to is of 85 decibels. You are at risk of suffering from industrial hearing loss.

Employers should inform their staff on what they are actively doing to control risks and exposures. Every employee should know where they can obtain hearing protection and what the process is when it comes to reporting defects in it.

Employees should be able to undergo regular health checks to gauge whether they have been affected by the level of noise in their workplace. Accurate records on these checks need to be kept.

If you are concerned about whether your employer is adhering to the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, then arrange to discuss this with your health and safety representative. Employees need to take some personal responsibility to ensure that they don’t suffer from industrial hearing loss.

Are You Suffering With These Symptoms of Industrial Deafness?

Working in a noisy environment can result in suffering from industrial deafness. ‘Noisy’ in this case is defined as any environment that has a noise level of over the 30 decibels mark. Depending on the noise level, the frequency and length of exposure to it, your ears could suffer from minor hearing damage such as tinnitus to permanent and complete hearing loss.

Industrial deafness is most often something that happens very slowly and so will not be noticed by many sufferers until it is too late to do anything about it. Working in a noisy environment can cause a serious outcome and this type of hearing loss is most often permanent. Taking action before it has caused serious damage can be most detrimental to your health.

Due to the slow nature of industrial hearing loss, it’s recommended that self-evaluations are undertaken regularly. Your hearing ability should be measured, with notes so that you have a clear understanding of whether your hearing is affecting you. Check whether you are experiencing any of these industrial deafness symptoms:

1. Sounds are muffled. If conversations sound as though they are muted or distant or you have to keep turning up the volume of the television – you could be experiencing damaged hearing.
2. Difficulty hearing conversations. A common industrial deafness symptom is not being able to hear conversations if there is any background noise. This can be very frustrating and is most likely to occur in a crowded café or on a busy road.
3. Not hearing parts of conversations. Missing consonants such as the‘s’ sound in conversations is very common with industrial deafness.
4. Tinnitus. If you have experienced a buzzing or ringing sound in the ear, you could be suffering from tinnitus. It’s a form of hearing damage and can get be so severe that the sufferer cannot hear conversation.
5. Temporary deafness. If you experience complete hearing loss in one or even both ears then you should pay attention. If it’s happening regularly then you could be on the road to permanent deafness.

These five symptoms need to be taken seriously. By administering a self-evaluation regularly you should be able to monitor whether your hearing is deteriorating and how rapidly.

If you do find that your hearing is deteriorating, then it’s time to contact a qualified hearing specialist so that you can be tested professionally. Hearing damage can affect your life in many different aspects so the sooner that you become aware of any hearing loss, the better. You may have a chance of preventing any further damage and industrial deafness.

The Top Causes of Industrial Hearing Loss

Being exposed to regular or continuous noise at work can result in industrial hearing loss. It’s critical to use safety equipment such as head phones or earplugs. As one of the most common occupational hazards, there are many lines of industry that can put you at risk.

If you have difficulty hearing a colleague who is standing just 6 feet away from you then you are in a very noisy environment that could damage your hearing. The noise level is over 85 decibels.

If your colleague is just 3 feet away from you, but you have to shout to be heard then the noise level is likely to be over 95 decibels.

You are also at risk if you have to use a piece of noisy machinery such as a vacuum cleaner or a power tool for over 30 minutes a day.

These industries are some of the highest risk areas when it comes to experiencing industrial hearing loss:

• Transportation
• Manufacturing
• Agriculture
• Construction
• Mining

Even careers such as musicians and the armed forces can be exposed to noise that can lead to permanent hearing damage.

The symptoms of hearing damage range from the tinnitus – when the sufferer has a constant ringing in the ears that can make it difficult to follow conversation to a total loss of hearing.

So what causes industrial hearing loss?

• Operating loud machinery or being located next to loud machinery for long periods of time without adequate ear protection or without taking regular breaks
• Using power tools without adequate ear protection
• Being required to work with loud vehicles such as aircraft, lorries or trains
• Exposure to an individual very loud noise such as an explosion or something heavy being dropped from a height

Sufferers of hearing damage can also have difficulty following conversations, in particular if there is background noise. They may find it difficult to hear particular sounds such as the ‘s’ sound in conversations and then miss out on important details. This can prove to be frustrating for both speakers and listeners.

Tinnitus is another symptom that can be experienced. The sufferer will hear high pitched noises, ringing or buzzing in the ear constantly.

If you feel that you have been exposed to a high noise level whilst working then you should consider getting your hearing tested by a qualified hearing specialist to understand how it has affected to. The longer industrial hearing loss is left for without treatment, the more affect it will have.