How Employees Can Protect Their Hearing at Work

While many jobs don’t put a worker’s ears through the wringer, those that do can cause a lot of damage to your hearing. There are more than a few roles that can do this, such as those in:

• Construction
• Music
• Nightlife
• Couriering

If you’re working in any of these fields, you’ll need some form of ear protection. There are more than a few reasons for this. Perhaps the most notable is that it’ll prevent hearing damage and loss.

While small doses of loud noises might not damage your hearing, they can if you’re regularly exposed to it. Your daily noise exposure could lead to permanent hearing loss if you’re not careful. Speaking to an audiologist can help you minimize this risk and prevent any damage. There are more than a few things you can do yourself, too.

Ensuring that your hearing is protected at work is essential. You’ll have to keep more than a few things in mind while you do.

How To Protect Your Hearing at Work

Before you can figure out how to protect your hearing at work, you’ll need to know whether you need to. In most jobs, you wouldn’t need to take any extra steps to do this, as the noise wouldn’t be high enough.

You would need to take advantage of ear protection under certain circumstances. That’s especially true when noise levels are dangerously high. As a rule of thumb, if you need to raise your voice to speak to someone several feet away, then noise levels are dangerously high.

There are certain situations where it’s legally mandated that you have ear protection on. Under Occupational Safety and Health Administration rules, you’re obliged to wear them when sound levels average 85 decibels (dB) or over during an eight-hour day.

For comparison, that sound level is roughly the equivalent to a lawnmower or truck traffic. Your employer is mandated to provide you with this protection.

There are two standard options that you’ll typically be issued with in these circumstances, usually earmuffs and earplugs. These can cut noise levels that reach your ear quite significantly, making them vital for protecting your hearing.

Once you know whether you need ear protection while working, it’s time to determine how to protect your hearing at work.

Steps To Protect Your Hearing

If you don’t know how to protect your hearing at work, then you could feel as though you’ll have to put up with the noise. Should you not know what to do, you may feel as though you’re in a catch-22 situation. You’re not. There’s more than a few ear protection tips that you can take advantage of.

Using as many of them as possible is recommended. While some of these might be legally mandated for your profession, not all of them will be.

It’s still worth using them. Some of the more notable are:

• Use earplugs that block the ear canal with an air-tight seal.
• Ensure that earmuffs fit perfectly above your ears and create an air-tight seal.
• Use both earplugs and earmuffs together when noise levels are above 105dB.
• Choose high-quality options that block out background noise.

If you’re worried about your hearing, then it’s more than worth seeing an audiologist. Doing so offers a wealth of benefits. The most notable of these is helping you to manage your condition.

Doing so could also make sure that you don’t experience any more damage or hearing loss in the future.

How To Protect Your Hearing at Work: Wrapping Up

If you work in a role that exposes you to high noise levels, then you’ll need to look out for your hearing. It could sustain a significant amount of damage if you don’t. The earlier you start with this, the better. It’s recommended that you get ear protection as soon as you start in the role. In many cases, you’ll be provided with this.

Using them regularly and properly is essential. You could still find that you’ll experience hearing issues, however. If you do, then it’s recommended that you visit an audiologist. Doing so will not only diagnose the problem but will help you manage the condition long-term. It can also help you prevent the issue from getting worse over time.

Being proactive about your hearing is essential. What’s stopping you from looking after it. Do you need a hearing aid? Then get in touch with Advanced Hearing Services today at (970) 449-0592 to see how we can help you.