Some 22 million U.S. workers are exposed to hazardous noise levels annually, with construction sites being among the most common sources.
Exposure to loud noise or certain chemicals at work can lead to hearing loss, associated with tinnitus (ringing in the ears), heart problems, cognitive decline and poor mental health.
Brian J. Fligor, PhD, PASC, audiologist-in-chief and president of Tobias and Battite in Boston, Massachusetts and an American Academy of Audiology member notes “hearing loss prevention in the construction industry is quite challenged. Finding the right approach to lessening risk for noise-induced hearing loss and noise-induced tinnitus is consequently fraught with challenges.”
Why Hearing Protection is a Big Deal
Fligor says a worker might think the need for hearing protection is not obvious, questioning whether the sound from a nail gun or a saw is actually dangerous to one’s hearing. They may question the need for hearing protection if there is not a lot of sound or if it is distant.
Workers may use hearing protection around loud noise, but remove it to hear others speaking or vehicle back-up alarms, he adds.
Fligor says a 10-year 2012 prospective study done by Seixas et al in hearing in construction workers notes “lots of different jobs in construction carry significant risk for hearing loss and tinnitus and use of hearing protection devices such as earplugs and earmuffs is limited because of these issues I cite, so finding the right hearing protection is hard.”
Fligor says the best hearing protector “is the one you’ll wear. Is it comfortable enough? Is it easy to use correctly? Does it block sound significantly but can you still hear people talking and back-up signals and other alarms?”
Fligor says the best hearing protection device would be an earmuff or earplug that is ‘active electronic’ – featuring a battery with microphones allowing regular – softer – sound through but drops down the level of very loud sound.
“These are expensive because they are electronic and have lots of tech in them,” he adds. “They pass through voice and other sound that is not damaging, but observes loud sound and greatly attenuates those dangerous sounds.”
Another option: earplugs that do not attenuate sound too much with a noise reduction rating (NRR) of 29 to 32 decibels.
“That is too much attenuation for most all noise exposures,” he notes. “Better to use a hearing protection device with NRR that is 15 to 20 decibels and put it in and leave it than have one that attenuates too much and the user is constantly taking it out - eventually, they won't put it back in as it's just a hassle.”
Fligor notes earplugs are not a hearing loss prevention program/hearing conservation program, adding they are the last – and weakest – chain in a series of efforts to lessen noise-induced hearing loss and noise-induced tinnitus risk.
Hearing Loss Prevention Program
Fligor says a hearing loss prevention program/hearing conservation program consists of five factors:
1) Determine if the noise is too loud and for too long.
2) Assess engineering or administrative controls to lessen risk. Consider purchasing more quiet equipment or if a particular task be shared in such a way that no one person gets all of the loudest work.
3) Conduct audiometric monitoring. Get a baseline hearing test; repeat at least annually to keep track of hearing. Catch small changes quickly.
4) Do education and motivation, teaching people about the value of their hearing and how to lessen their risk/take control of protection efforts.
5) Consider using hearing protection devices. “The reason earplugs and earmuffs are #5 is because any time you put the end user in charge of lessening risk by issuing them Personal Protective Equipment, you've just admitted all your other exposure controls haven't worked,” Fligor says. “Teaching a person to use PPE and encouraging them to use it has shown to be the least reliable way to protect people.”
For more information check out:
- This IRONPROS story on mitigating noises.
- The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) occupational hearing loss site, its Sound Level Meter App, NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation and the Prevent Occupational Noise-Induced Hearing Loss guide.
- An extensive Occupational Safety and Health Administration noise exposure resource.
For more information, consult the company’s safety manager or a hearing health professional.
