Hearing loss is not something that many of us worry about on a regular basis but there are many factors in our everyday lives that can contribute to our loss of hearing.
In honour of Save Your Hearing Day today we’ve put together a list of ways to protect your hearing at work and at home.
Save Your Hearing at Home:
Know Your Limits
- Avoid dangerous sound levels
- Hearing loss becomes possible from noise levels of 85 decibels and above
Find a Quiet Spot
- Give yourself designated breaks from environments with high noise levels
Plug Your Ears
- Protect your ears with devices such as earplugs, earmuffs, or noise-cancelling headphones
Turn Down Your Music
- Ensure that your music devices are used with caution
- Follow the 80/90 rule: only listen to your music at a maximum of 80% volume for 90 minutes at a time
Take Care of Your General Health
- Other health issues can affect your hearing and even cause hearing loss
- Healthy habits have shown to prevent hearing loss
Save Your Hearing at Work:
Engineering Controls
- These are ways that you can modify or replace work equipment to reduce noise
Examples of Engineering Controls include:
- Choose low-noise tools and machinery
- Monitor and lubricate machines and equipment
- Place a barrier between you and the noise source
- Enclose or isolate the noise source
Administrative Controls
- These are ways for employees and employers to make changes in the workplace that reduce/eliminate your exposure to noise
Examples of Administrative Controls include:
- Operate noisy machines during shifts when fewer people are exposed
- Limit the amount of time spent at a noise source
- Step away to a quiet space when working in a noisy environment
- Restrict workers to a suitable distance from any noisy equipment
Hearing Protection Devices
- Ear muffs, ear plugs, etc. must be worn to protect your hearing at work
- Hearing protection devices must be worn if the noise/sound level exceeds 85 decibels
- Arrangements must be made so that every employee has the proper hearing protective equipment
- Procedures must be in place to ensure all workers wear their hearing protection devices when required
By implementing the tips above at work and at home we can all work diligently to protect and save our hearing!
These tips were originally published in the articles below:
5 Tips for Protecting Your Hearing Inside and Outside the Workplace (December 7, 2017)
Occupational Noise Induced Hearing Loss (May 31, 2016)