Hearing Loss on the Job
In the year 2000, 1040 people in Michigan suffered permanent hearing loss a result of their work. The vast majority of these permanent hearing loss disabilities developed because of noise in the workplace. Michigan is not unique. Workers across the United States permanently lose their hearing as a result of excessive noise in their workplace.
Michigan’s Example
Of the 1,040 Michigan workers who experienced permanent hearing loss in 2000, just over 50 percent of them worked in the manufacturing industry. The next most dangerous industry for this type of disability was construction, followed by other professions that had a total of 124 incidents, transportation, services and public administration.
NIOSH presents the Michigan work related hearing loss statistics as follows:
Figure 2-31. Distribution and number of permanent hearing loss cases reported by clinicians in Michigan, by industry, 2000. Manufacturing accounted for 50.9% of permanent hearing loss cases reported in Michigan in 2000, and construction industry sectors accounted for 15.0%.
(Source: Rosenman and Reilly [2002].)
Suffering Hearing Loss as an Adult
Permanent hearing loss is a disability. Workers who suffer permanent hearing loss as a result of work conditions have lived their lives being able to understand the spoken word and relying on their hearing and speech as a way of communicating with others.
Therefore, when they become deaf it can be traumatic. They might experience depression, anxiety and mental health problems. They need to learn different ways of communicating with other people. It can have an affect on their home life and their work life. It is often a loss that needs to be mourned as the individual begins to rebuild his or her life with education about how to communicate through sign language, writing, lip reading and other techniques.
Safeguards to Prevent Hearing Loss at Work
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) describes the elements of a successful hearing loss prevention program. A successful prevention program involves both the employer and the employee. The employer has the responsibility to provide training for employees about the danger of hearing loss and about how to prevent it. Supervisors should be knowledgeable about the danger and how to prevent damage from occurring. Precautions should be taken to minimize noise in the workplace and to provide employees with protective equipment to protect their hearing. The employer should keep records of its efforts and conduct internal monitoring to make sure that their hearing loss prevention activities are implemented and effective.