Hearing problems: why ear protection is so important
As well as being a nuisance, noise can damage our hearing. In fact, it’s one of the biggest causes of occupational illness in Europe. It affects employees’ health, absenteeism rates and the quality of work, so there’s every reason to consider the consequences of noise and what you can do as an employer.
Sensitive ears
Our ears deserve looking after. Day and night, they pick up all the sounds around us. Research shows that our ears are perfectly resistant to sounds below 80 dB(A); anything louder than that starts to be dangerous. Even at 80 dB(A), noises present a risk. And once they climb above 90 dB(A), the risk of hearing damage increases significantly.
What is the risk?
Noise that exceeds the risk limits can have a lasting impact:
perceptive hearing loss is the most common effect, and it’s permanent. High-frequency sounds (upwards of 4000 Hz) are the first to be lost. Further noise exposure causes the problem to occur at other frequencies as well.
ringing in the ears or tinnitus. Patients with this condition hear disturbing noises that don’t come from outside.
hyperacusis or hypersensitivity to noise. Everyday sounds feel painful, such as the sound of cutlery on a plate.
These hearing problems make themselves felt in the workplace. For example, making phone calls, attending a meeting where several people are talking at once or hearing work instructions above the noise of machinery can become difficult.
Statutory hearing protection
The Well-being Act includes protective measures (additional information: Dutch - French) against hearing damage. Sound measurements are taken during the risk assessment in your organisation. Based on this, you implement collective prevention measures that limit the problem as much as possible at the source of the noise. If these aren’t enough, an individual approach is required: hearing protection.
If an average noise level exceeds 80 dB(A) or a peak noise level exceeds 135 dB(C), as an employer you must provide personal hearing protection.
If the measurement indicates that the noise is louder than 85 dB(A) on average or the peak noise level exceeds 137 dB(C), your employees are required to wear hearing protection (which the employer must provide).
Earplugs, earmuffs or custom-made hearing protection? It’s up to you to choose the most suitable protection, but it’s essential for employees to find the solution comfortable, as only then will they actually wear the protection when needed.
Regular health monitoring
The measurements taken during the risk assessment determine how often the occupational health physician checks employees’ hearing. They will conduct a hearing test during the health monitoring and advise your employees.
The occupational health physician also takes personal factors into account. Is one of your employees pregnant? If so, her baby needs protection from noise, especially during the third trimester of pregnancy. Additional measures are also necessary for employees who take certain medications or have a hearing condition.