A noisy job setting can be annoying and aggravating to employees. It is also a very serious threat to your health and safety. When exposed to loud noises for an extended period, you can permanently lose your hearing. Your ears will not simply adjust to loud noise. Once hearing loss has occurred, you will not be able to repair the damage done.
After consistent noise exposure, loud noise can destroy the delicate hair particles in your ear which operate as sound receivers. These hair cells WILL NOT grow back. Contrary to the hearing loss that older people acquire, neither an operation nor an aid can correct this type of hearing loss.
Loud noises can also cause partial hearing loss, high blood pressure, ulcers, headaches, loss of appetite, irritability, and sleep disorders. Other work related injuries could be the result of being exposed to a loud setting. When there are problems communicating with co-workers or hearing warnings and other announcements on the jobsite, accidents will more likely happen.
You are exposed to dangerous levels of noise at work if you experience any of the following…
- If there is any ringing or humming in your ears after you leave the workplace
- If you must yell to be heard by a co-worker that is less than three feet away
- If you need to turn the volume on the TV up louder after work than you do on weekends
- If you are frequently told by your family or friends that you started to have trouble hearing
When Noise Becomes Dangerous
Noise is calculated in units called decibels. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) states that, noise levels of 85 decibels or more are dangerous when workers are exposed to it for 8 hours. OSHA protects workers' hearing saying that your employer MUST protect your hearing at work. Your employer must evaluate the areas of the jobsite where noise levels seem high and determine what their actual levels are. The Union's Health and Safety Committee can get copies of these tests.
In areas found to expose workers to noise levels over 85 decibels, employers have to:
- Perform annual hearing tests for employees.
- Hold free hearing exams to all workers every year to make sure none of the staff is losing their hearing.
- Provide free hearing protection for employees. Ear plugs and ear muffs should be fitted for specifically for each worker. Workers must have a choice of hearing protection and training in its use and care.
- Enforce that hearing protection is worn by all employees exposed to high noise areas
For areas found to expose workers to noise l0evels above 90 decibels, in addition to the above, all employers are required to try to make changes to tools and equipment so they are less noisy, such as:
- Putting equipment on rubber mats
- Enclosing equipment in a booth
- Reducing the speed of moving parts
- Keeping machines in good working order.
Making appropriate changes to tools and equipment is the best way to reduce dangerous noise on the job. If these changes fail to reduce sound levels then the employer can use earplugs and ear muffs to protect workers. Some employers overlook the source of the noise to reduce loud noises--they require workers to wear ear plugs without looking at the causes of the noise and possible ways to control it.
