People who wear earplugs at work may not be getting the full protection they need. That's because they're not wearing earplugs properly – through no fault of their own. Most earplugs employ a one-size-fits-all approach, yet ears vary widely from person to person.
Research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on noise-induced hearing loss in non-workplace settings has produced some alarming statistics. Testing on nearly 4,000 adults in the U.S. in 2014 found that:
Approximately 15% of American adults, aged 18 and older, reported some degree of trouble with hearing—about as much as the prevalence reported for both diabetes and cancer combined (Vital Health Stat 10. 2014;260:1 http://bit.ly/2lZlMX0).
Nearly 24% of adults have measurable hearing damage in one or both ears.
Nearly 50% of adults with this damage were not exposed to noise at work (MMWR. 2017; 66[5]:139 http://bit.ly/2lZxpNr).
In addition to long-term damage, OSHA warns that excessive noise can cause physical and psychological stress, reduce productivity, interfere with communication and concentration, and contribute to workplace accidents and injuries.
While most industrial facilities offer hearing protection to their employees, there are some very basic, yet overlooked, questions you can ask of your hearing conservation program (HCP) to determine if you are maximizing its effectiveness.
A variety of NIOSH blogs spread the word about hearing loss prevention
October 30, 2017
When it comes to health, a large gap often exists between what we know (for example, we know that eating too much sugar is bad for our health) and what we still do. Hearing loss prevention is no exception. We have been aware of the harmful effects of overexposure to noise for over a century.
More than 36 million adults in the U.S. have some degree of hearing loss, according to the American Academy of Audiology. What may be surprising to people who think that hearing loss is a problem that comes with old age: more than 18 million are younger than age 65.
3M features virtual reality educational experiences for fall protection and welding safety at national trade show
September 18, 2017
3M™ Personal Safety Division features the “3M Science of Safety” at the National Safety Council Congress & Expo (NSC), booth #2803, in Indianapolis beginning Monday, Sept. 25. In addition to highlighting new products and access to its credentialed technical service team, 3M is offering virtual reality training demonstrations for fall protection, fall protection for tools and welding safety.
Noise Monitoring specialists Cirrus Research have expanded their product training and CPD programmes, adding an environmental noise measurement workshop to the roster.
The Office of Management and Budget released its Spring (very, very late Spring) Regulatory Agenda yesterday. The Regulatory Agenda is what it sounds like: a plan and timeline for each agency’s regulations, what the next steps are and when they are expected. The Regulatory Agenda is released every Spring and Fall.