Excessive noise is prevalent across industries. From manufacturing to construction, agriculture to oil and gas, more than 22 million U.S. workers are exposed to hazardous noise each year.1 Wherever unsafe levels of noise exist, employers are responsible for providing hearing protection devices (HPDs) – and where daily exposures average more than 85 dBA, a hearing conservation program is also required. But you’re not alone if you wonder whether your current approach to hearing conservation is netting the results your workers need to preserve their hearing for the long term.
Despite the superior quality of today’s HPDs, noise is still robbing workers’ sense of hearing at an alarming rate. The CDC reports that 24% of hearing loss among workers is caused by occupational noise exposures.2 Furthermore, 34% of noise-exposed workers report not wearing hearing protection.3