Most employers are aware that occupational noise has the potential to cause permanent hearing loss in exposed workers. Less well known, and less studied, is the link between occupational noise exposure and tinnitus.
During this year’s National Protect Your Hearing Month—observed each October—learn how to protect yourself, your family and co-workers from noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL).
A workers’ advocacy group says a new Department of Labor (DOL) proposal will put teen workers at risk, while the DOL says it will put teen workers to work – yet maintain safety.
At issue is the DOL’s action entitled “Expanding Employment, Training, and Apprenticeship Opportunities for 16- and 17-Year-Olds in Health Care Occupations under the Fair Labor Standards Act.”
The U.S. Department of Labor's Mine Safety and Health Administration has awarded $250,000 to four organizations to develop and conduct training programs that support the recognition and prevention of safety and health hazards in underground mines.
It is estimated that over 22 million workers are exposed to hazardous noise on the job and an additional nine million are at risk for hearing loss from other agents such as solvents and metals.
Currently the U.S. does not have a national surveillance or injury reporting system for hearing loss. The Bureau of Labor Statistics annually reports recorded hearing loss on OSHA Form 300. However, BLS data are not representative of the true magnitude of occupational hearing loss due to several barriers to the reporting system.
Tinnitus has more than one possible cause. For example, more than 200 medications are known to have tinnitus as a side effect. Exposure to bomb blasts is another cause, making tinnitus one of the most common service-related disabilities among combat veterans.
Most people with hearing loss get it with aging. Two out of three people over 70 have trouble hearing. But on average only about 20 percent of adults who have a hearing loss actually use a hearing aid. Research shows that hearing loss is associated with higher risks of hospitalization, depression, and especially dementia.
Viruses and blood flow issues can, in rare cases, trigger sudden and profound hearing loss. Research supports the use of hyperbaric oxygen treatments to restore hearing in some patients.
A review of the collected evidence suggests that -- added to standard drug therapy -- hyperbaric oxygen treatment "is the most beneficial treatment option" for what doctors call "sudden sensorineural hearing loss," according to a specialist in hyperbaric medicine at the National Maritime Medical Center in Seoul.
About 66,000 Americans are surprised each year by a diagnosis of sudden sensorineural hearing loss, or sudden deafness. A new study, published in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery, suggests it isn’t as rare as some think — occurring in up to 20 per 100,000 people.
Safety issues are prominent in the new five-year-contract that registered nurses with the California Nurses Association/ National Nurses United (CNA/NNU) at the University of California (UC) just voted overwhelmingly to ratify.
Workplace violence, infectious disease protections and safe staffing protections were addressed in the agreement, which covers more than 14,000 registered nurses at five major medical centers, 10 student health centers, and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.
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