{"id":1490,"date":"2019-02-26T06:09:00","date_gmt":"2019-02-26T06:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/s759348616.websitehome.co.uk\/?p=1490"},"modified":"2020-02-26T06:12:42","modified_gmt":"2020-02-26T06:12:42","slug":"noise-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/s759348616.websitehome.co.uk\/?p=1490","title":{"rendered":"Noise at Work"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Workers in the army, factories, mines, textile and construction industries etc. are exposed to the highest frequencies of hazardous noise levels. The loud noises in the workplace can cause:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Inability to communicate or focus effectively\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Higher chances of injury at work\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Psychological or physical stress\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Reduced productivity at work\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> *Hearing loss<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><em><strong>Prevention<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To prevent ear damage in high-noise sectors, most employers implement a hearing loss prevention program. If implemented successfully, the company benefits by reducing cases of hearing damage, workers compensation costs, medical expenses and effects of hearing loss. Unfortunately, most workers are not willing to take part in hearing loss prevention programs, and even when they do, few know what to do about workplace noise levels.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a worker, it\u2019s important to take part in scheduled hearing loss prevention program audits in your workplace. You might think you\u2019re just fine, but after a few years working, that seemingly average noise exposure in your workplace may be the cause of hearing problems. It\u2019s often a good idea to be involved in the audits so that your employer can implement the right hearing safety procedures based on insights from you and other workers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Follow Workplace Safety Rules<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hearing protection in the workplace cannot be successful if you\u2019re not following safety rules. Employers will implement engineering and administrative controls to prevent hearing damage at your workplace, but it\u2019s your responsibility to ensure that your following hearing loss safety protocols. Are you wearing hearing protection like noise-bans, earmuffs or earplugs when working? Are you following job-specific rules on accessing noisy working areas?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><b><i>Reduce Noise Exposure<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sometimes, workers expose themselves to noise that is avoidable in the first place. For instance, spending more time than required in restricted areas of high-noise exposure is not wise. Reducing noise exposure both on and off the job is the best way to prevent hearing damage. If you love listening to music, enjoy it at a reasonable volume and for shorter periods of time, especially on headphones.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Educate Yourself<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most areas with noise exposure that equals or exceeds 85 decibels will be clearly marked with visible signs. If there are loud areas in your workplace with no proper labelling, report it and ensure visible signs are placed. Educating yourself on hearing protection in the workplace is also key to preventing hearing damage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Always wear proper fitting hearing protection devices<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When provided with hearing protection devices like earplugs and earmuffs, make sure that you wear them as expected. Hearing protection devices are most effective if they are worn properly. A good hearing protection device should not block out all the noise but significantly reduce it to a level that is comfortable for you to carry out tasks safely.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Regular Hearing Checks<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re constantly or regularly exposed to loud noises at the workplace, it\u2019s important to have regular hearing checks done. While many people assume that everything is alright simply because they hear well, it\u2019s important to note that hearing loss develops over a few years and because it\u2019s gradual and painless, you may never notice it. Regular hearing screening tests are an effective way of knowing whether occupational hearing loss is being prevented in your workplace, it\u2019s important to take part in it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To prevent hearing loss both in the workplace and in other areas like home, follow these good safety practices:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> If you work in a high-risk environment, check with your employer to ensure that your working site has an effective hearing loss prevention program to ensure hearing protection in the workplace.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Wear effective hearing protection such as earmuffs and earplugs whenever you\u2019re using loud equipment at work or accessing areas where you\u2019re exposed to loud noises.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Insist on using quieter products, tools, equipment or machines. Employers are required to ensure that workers are using low-noise products whenever possible.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Monitor your hearing over time. Considering that audiometric tests at the workplace are only done annually or even after two years, it\u2019s recommended that you see a hearing health professional more routinely for further tests.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Be alert to other risks of hazardous noise in your day-to-day life.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ref:<br \/>\n<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Moldex website<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Workers in the army, factories, mines, textile and construction industries etc. are exposed to the highest frequencies of hazardous noise levels. The loud noises in the workplace can cause: Inability to communicate or focus effectively\u00a0\u00a0 Higher chances of injury at work\u00a0\u00a0 Psychological or physical stress\u00a0\u00a0 Reduced productivity at work\u00a0\u00a0 *Hearing loss Prevention To prevent ear&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":114,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1490","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorised"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/s759348616.websitehome.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1490"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/s759348616.websitehome.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/s759348616.websitehome.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/s759348616.websitehome.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/s759348616.websitehome.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1490"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/s759348616.websitehome.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1490\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1491,"href":"http:\/\/s759348616.websitehome.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1490\/revisions\/1491"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/s759348616.websitehome.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/s759348616.websitehome.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/s759348616.websitehome.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/s759348616.websitehome.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}