Symposium on hearing hazards in the workplace
Symposium on hearing hazards in the workplace
Guidelines proposed to prevent hearing loss
A panel of hearing experts gathered at a recent National Industrial Noise and Hearing Loss Consensus Meeting proposed new guidelines to help corporate America reduce the health care and economic problems associated with noise induced hearing loss (NIHL).
The meeting, held in Lake Geneva, WI, was sponsored by Ear Professionals International Corp. (EPIC), a nationwide alliance of hearing health care providers.
By focusing on new technology and education/awareness programs, the panel of physicians, government officials, corporate managers, and noise consultants announced several key recommendations for reducing workplace noise exposure.
The cost of preventative efforts should never be an issue in protecting workers’ hearing, says Brad Volkmer, president and CEO of EPIC.
"Until now, the problem of employee hearing loss has been swept under the carpet largely due to the perceived cost of prevention and treatment," he says. "Simply spending more money will not necessarily solve the problem. It’s a matter of spending existing money more wisely by leveraging new technology and education programs."
After nearly 30 years of federal regulations to manage workplace noise, NIHL remains a serious and costly problem. According to the National Institutes of Health, NIHL caused by occupational noise is a major industrial disease affecting up to 20 million American workers.
American industry currently spends an estimated $6 billion a year on hearing-related screening and treatment, while the costs in terms of lost productivity, lawsuits, and workers’ compensation have never been calculated, Volkmer says. The panel recommended adopting new hearing test technology to screen employees.
Current standardized employee hearing tests are subjective and do not measure a worker’s ability to communicate on the job, Volkmer says. New functional assessment tests are far superior in their ability to measure hearing and communicative ability objectively. Already in use by many state and federal law enforcement agencies, such tests can more accurately screen employees for suitability in hearing-critical and high-noise jobs.
The panel also suggests adopting hearing protection technology that also enhances communication. To comply with Occupational Safety and Health Administration requirements, many employers provide workers with the most rudimentary types of hearing protection such as foam earplugs.
While such devices protect hearing, they also reduce an employee’s ability to communicate, and are thus not used as directed. When they are used, they tend to disrupt work flow and can even create a hazard by making it difficult for employees to hear instructions and danger warnings, Volkmer says. In contrast, advanced hearing protection devices such as headsets protect hearing and enhance workplace communication.
With several recent studies estimating that up to 40% of workplace injuries are related to hearing impairments, the benefits of such advanced technology are likely to outweigh the costs significantly, he says.
Too many with hearing loss never seek help
Also, the panel says occupational health providers should promote hearing education and awareness. Approximately 30 million Americans suffer from some sort of hearing loss, the group reports. Yet only 20% seek treatment. Reasons why Americans choose to ignore the problem include the stigma associated with hearing loss as "an old person’s disease." Unfortunately, hearing loss often is ignored until it is in very advanced stages.
"While it is hard to imagine people with poor vision going to work without their glasses or contact lenses, millions of Americans go to work every day with significantly reduced hearing," Volkmer says. "Employers must begin to treat hearing as an asset that should be protected."
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