If you find that you are struggling to hear others speak or often need to turn up the volume on a TV or radio and you work in an environment where the noise level is frequently above the 80dB level, then you may be suffering from a case of industrial deafness. Industrial deafness is grouped into four main types temporary loss of hearing, permanent loss of hearing, acoustic trauma and tinnitus and the difficulty hearing can be a percentage of full hearing in one or both ears, or if suffering from tinnitus there will be the sensation of external noise when no external noise exists.
The Hearing Loss Association of America believes seniors with hearing loss should not have to scrimp and save, or go without basic needs, to just be able to hear. Seniors on fixed incomes, seniors who depend on Social Security and Medicare, seniors who don’t qualify for Medicaid or who live in states that don’t provide hearing aids through Medicaid, should not have to choose between hearing and their other basic needs.
Listening to a kid’s toy scream, “Amarillo—yellow! Verde—green!” for hours is a special kind of misery. While many parents veto loud toys because they’re annoying, the Sight & Hearing Association is asking parents to consider another reason: hearing damage. The St. Paul, Minn., organization just released its annual “Noisy Toys” list in advance of Christmas. Taking the top spot is a toy marketed for 3-month-olds:Baby Einstein’s Take Along Tunes.
Excessive and prolonged exposure to loud noise in the workplace can cause workers to be susceptible to cases of industrial deafness. According to the Health and Safety Executive (United Kingdom) more than one1 million U.K. employees are currently at risk of suffering from future industrial deafness due to the conditions in which they currently work.
OSHA has published a new chapter that provides technical information and guidance to help Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) evaluate noise hazards in the workplace. The content is based on currently available research publications, OSHA standards, and consensus standards.
Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) occurs when tiny sensory hair cells in our inner ears are damaged by noises that are too loud and that last for too long. The max volume of music in headphones is about 105 decibels.
According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), 22 million Americans are exposed daily to hazardous noise on the job, putting them at risk of developing permanent, incurable hearing loss or tinnitus. An estimated $242 million is spent annually on worker's compensation for hearing loss disability.
3M hosts Dangerous Decibels events to help prevent noise-induced hearing loss
October 7, 2013
Kids and families alike will gather at Tartan Park on Wednesday, October 16, for Dangerous Decibel’s“How Loud is Your Music? Jolene Family Reunion and U-Build-It Jolene workshop.” This free, public event features 20 teams from Minnesota and across the U.S. who will build mannequins that measure music-player sound levels.
Coverage of the 2013 NSC Congress & Expo in Chicago, the government shutdown’s affect on OSHA and hearing loss stories were among the top EHS-related articles featured last week on ISHN.com:
Every day, we experience sound in our environment, such as the sounds from television and radio, household appliances, and traffic. Normally, we hear these sounds at safe levels that do not affect our hearing. However, when we are exposed to harmful noise—sounds that are too loud or loud sounds that last a long time—sensitive structures in our inner ear can be damaged, causing noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL).