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.
Many of those suffer hearing loss do so because of loud noises in their workplaces. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) notes that noise-induced hearing loss in the workplace is “100% preventable.” It’s also one of the most common work-related illnesses in the U.S., which means that not enough is being done by employers to prevent it.