More than 1.1 million Australians are exposed to harmful noise levels in the workplace. Are you one of them?
“People often ask ‘what’s too loud?’,” says audiologist, Karen Hirschausen, Hearing Australia’s Principal Audiologist. Essentially, if you’re in a situation where you need to raise your voice to be understood at conversational distance (1-2 metres), then the noise is probably too loud.
“Repeated or lengthy exposure to sounds above 85 decibels, which is approximately the level of a forklift or front-end loader, can cause permanent damage,” says Hirschausen.
Who’s at risk?
SafeWork Australia says that while construction and manufacturing are known to have the highest noise issues, people working in other industries are also at risk, including emergency responders, DJs and musicians, farmers and teachers.’
If you work in a noisy environment, its vital that you take action to protect your ears. Talk to your employer about hearing protection and other personal protective equipment (PPE).
Many hearing protection devices now connect with two-way radio or other PPE so you can still hear instructions and communication without removing your ear protection.
Note: noise-cancelling headphones, such as those you’d use at home or on the train, are not enough to protect your hearing from workplace noise. Always use the proper PPE provided by your workplace.
World Hearing Day
Did you know 3.5 million Australians aged 15 and over (22 per cent of the population) have mild to severe hearing issues? World Hearing Day is on 3rd March and aims to spread awareness about the positive impact of looking after our hearing health, which contributes to our quality of life, social engagement, career, confidence and communication.
Why not consider onsite hearing checks for your workforce?
This article was previously published in the Well at Work Newsletter
