Hearing loss is the most common occupational illness in the United States, with over 10 million people suffering from irreversible hearing damage due to noise. 40 Million people are exposed to dangerous noise levels every day. Firearms and Occupational Noise such as loud machinery can permanently damage your hearing; with some noise causing damage in a matter of seconds, according to the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). Untreated Hearing Loss can result in physical symptoms like Anger and Irritability Depression, Tension,Fatigue, and Stress Resignation from social situations Reduction of alertness Impaired alertness and growing risk to personal safety Noticeable decrease in job production Diminished mental and physical health … [Read More...]
Hearing Loss Prevention And Treatment
Occupational Hearing Conservation Program Services
Every day at work, over 22 million people are exposed to noise that may be potentially damaging to their hearing. Last year, over 1.5 million dollars was paid in penalties by businesses for not protecting workers from noise. Workman's Compensation pays an estimated $242 million annually for hearing loss disabilities. Clearly, it is less expensive to protect the hearing of workers than it is to compensate them for hearing loss. George Begley, from Custom Ear Labs, is a CAOHC Certified Occupational Hearing Conservationist as well as a Licensed and Certified Hearing … [Read More...]
Hearing Protection
How many times have you thought about Hearing Protection after exposure to loud noise when your ears are ringing or you cannot hear? Concerts, Hunting, Shooting sports, racing and others activities expose your hearing to potentially damaging noise. If your ears ring loudly after participating in one of these activities, you should consider Hearing Protection. Hearing Protection should be used when Attending Outdoor Concerts Riding Motorcycles or Speed Boats Riding in Convertibles Attending Air Shows or Car Races Watching or Shooting Fireworks Hunting or participating in … [Read More...]
Commonly Used Earplugs Do NOT Offer Sufficient Protection
ACCORDING TO OSHA, HEARING PROTECTION MUST BE DERATED For example, earplugs labeled with a NRR of 33 dB do NOT offer 33 dB of attenuation. OSHA requires that hearing protection be derated 50%. NIOSH recommends that formable earplugs be derated 50% and all other earplugs be derated 70%. DOUBLING UP DOES NOT RESULT IN DOUBLE ATTENUATION OSHA recommends dual hearing protection at high intensity levels. NIOSH recommends that workers use double hearing protection when 8-hr TWA exposure exceeds 100 dBA. According to OSHA standards, doubling up allows for the addition of 5 … [Read More...]
