EAR & EYE PROTECTION HEAR US OUT
With an estimated 11 million UK sufferers, hearing loss should be a topic deserving of a multitude of important conversations, particularly in workplaces where employees are
regularly exposed to loud noises that could impact the quality of hearing, or worsen their
existing symptoms.
Some of the most common industries with the capacity to have a detrimental effect on the hearing of staff include construction, industrial, maintenance, entertainment and travel — although there are many other more specific and niche job roles where occupational hearing loss is a potential hazard.
ENSURING STAFF HAVE ACCESS TO THE
CORRECT PPE While the term ‘PPE’ is no doubt something that the vast majority of people instantly associate with healthcare workers and the Covid-19 pandemic, protective clothing and equipment can also refer to ear protection for those regularly working in loud environments.
Options available to protect ear damage include earplugs, earmuffs and semi-insert/canal caps. Ear PPE must provide a suitable level of protection for any work being undertaken, and all employees must be trained and clear on exactly how to wear their PPE correctly, to ensure maximum protection.
If workers do have any concerns about the PPE they have been provided with, they should raise the issue with their employer or the individual(s) in charge of health and safety within the workplace.
ENCOURAGING DAILY NOISE PROTECTION CARE Whilst normal ear plugs bought from a supermarket can
protect and block sound, high-quality industrial earplugs are much better to help protect ears and ear drums.
Industrial ear plugs are one of the best ways to protect employee hearing. They are small inserts that fit into the outer ear canal. They work by blocking the air canal with an airtight seal to block noise from entering ears.
Occasionally, individuals may have trouble keeping them in their ears, but there are earplugs that are fitted to a headband to ensure they are constantly blocking out noise if this occurs.
32
How can those in charge of health and safety within workplaces ensure they are doing everything they can to protect employees from excessive noise and reduce the risk of hearing loss, asks Katie Ogden, Audiologist and Training Manager of ReSound North-West Europe.
Ear defenders are a slightly different option to earplugs as they sit on top of the ear rather than just blocking the canal.
By fitting over the entire outer ear, they can form an air seal to protect the ear canal, and for those who struggle with ear plugs fitting, they are held in place by an adjustable band connecting the two muffs. To work best, the muffs will need to fit over the entire ear.
EDUCATING ON EAR HEALTH It’s important to choose a safe noise protection device
that doesn’t go too far into workers ear canals which could cause damage, or lead to a perforated eardrum.
Similarly, to remove earwax the worst thing one can do is stick anything in their ears, like cotton swabs or other stick-like devices (e.g. keys). As we say in the clinic to our patients, ‘nothing smaller than your elbow should go into your ears unless advised by a hearing care professional’.
Not only could this damage your hearing (and I have seen damaged eardrums because of this and it’s painful), it can injure the ear canal as the skin is very thin and blood vessels are situated very close to the surface. It is a highly counter-productive way of trying to clean your ears as it will usually create an uncomfortable build-up by pushing wax and debris further inside your ear canal. The life cycle of ear wax or ‘cerumen’ is that left alone it should usually make its own way out of the ear and it certainly doesn’t need a helping hand from cotton buds.
For those suffering from wax build ups, the best thing is to have the ears examined and the wax professionally removed.
AVOIDING OVEREXPOSURE TO LOUD NOISES One needn’t be a jackhammer operator to experience
hearing loss. While construction zones are an environment that can regularly put a worker at risk of hearing damage, it can happen in any loud working environment, such as live music venues or nightclubs, airports, sports matches and airports.
So, during free time away from their working environments, it’s worth advising employees to try giving their ears as much rest as possible.
It is also important to highlight that many unions require construction workers to have their hearing tested multiple times each year, therefore protecting their ears and avoiding intense volumes will help in noise protection.
www.resound.com/en-gb/hearing-aids/digital
www.resound.com
www.tomorrowshs.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
