EAR & EYE PROTECTION
NINE REASONS WHY YOUR HEARING PROTECTION EFFORTS COULD BE FAILING
Employer-led hearing conversations achieve the best results, says Joanne Hunter, Head of Marketing for ProtectHear.
When it comes to industrial hearing protection, a well-known proverb springs to mind: “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink”. In short you can provide your workforce with the best hearing protection money can buy, but you cannot simply expect your employees to use it unless, as their employer, you enforce clear rules.
Some workers will continually put their own hearing at risk by either incorrectly using the hearing protection equipment you have provided, or not wearing it at all. Here are nine reasons that might be the case.
LACK OF EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Your workers may not fully understand the long-
term effects working in a noisy environment could potentially have on their hearing.
OK – so it’s common sense to accept if it’s noisy at work you wear some kind of hearing protection. But do your workers really understand the implications and what is expected of them in terms of their commitment to using and wearing the hearing protection you have provided?
Of course, to operate within the law industrial employers must carry out noise assessments. Most international regulations for noise exposure at work state that the loudest noise a person should be exposed to for an eight-hour working day is 85dB.
It’s a good idea to let your workers know that you regularly assess their workplace noise levels, and to show them how their working environment measures up in terms of the 85dB / eight hours regulation. Make sure they know exactly what they are dealing with, what the risks to their hearing are and why you have taken the trouble to invest in excellent hearing protection equipment for them.
YOU NEED TO REVIEW YOUR CHOICE OF
HEARING PROTECTION There are two main categories for industrial hearing protection – ear plugs or ear muffs/defenders – and
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depending on your working environment as an employer you need to weigh up all the pros and cons in relation to your unique working environment.
With ear plugs your three main options are: a custom- moulded, reusable ear plugs that are uniquely pre-formed to fit your workers’ ear canal precisely; mouldable foam disposable ear plugs; or head banded foam ear plugs which are semi-inserted into canals.
With ear muffs or defenders there is a wide range of brands available. They are made of a sound- attenuating material and have soft ear cushions with a hard, outer cup held together by a headband.
It is up to you as the employer to assess your workplace and consider the best options for your unique environment and for your workers. For example, ear muffs are often uncomfortable in hot and humid work areas and they can interfere with the wearing of safety glasses.
For workers who need to wear prescription glasses, muffs may also break the seal between the ear muff and the skin resulting in decreased hearing protection, whereas ear plugs are small and portable. Custom- moulded ear plugs are reusable making them more cost effective and kinder to the environment. It is often beneficial to involve your workers when making this choice.
LACK OF ADEQUATE TRAINING Once engaged and you have chosen appropriate
hearing protection for your workforce it is imperative you provide adequate training. Your workers need to know how to use and wear their hearing protection, and how to clean and take care of their ear plugs or muffs. A tool-box talk need not take long but can be very effective.
PAYING LIP-SERVICE It is no good allowing your workers to pay lip-service
to their hearing protection. Many workers wear ill-fitting disposable ear plugs balanced in the ear
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