Extreme Environments Call for Extreme Innovative Hearing Protection Solutions

Every day, workers are put in extreme working conditions, sometimes resulting in irreversible and severe hearing loss due to improper use of — or lack of — hearing protecting. These issues no longer are being overlooked and rapidly are rising to the surface of top safety concerns in the workplace. In turn, new technological advances in personal protective equipment (PPE) to prevent hearing loss is becoming a major topic of discussion.

According to NIOSH, “Approximately 30 million workers are exposed to hazardous noise on the job and an additional 9 million are at risk for hearing loss from other agents such as solvents and metals.” NIOSH notes that noise-induced hearing loss is one of the most common occupational diseases and the second most self-reported occupational illness or injury.

“Industry-specific studies reveal that 49 percent of males exposed to extreme occupational noise in the metal/nonmetal mining industry will have a hearing impairment by age 50 (versus 9 percent of the general population) rising to 70 percent by age 60,” says the agency. Other industries with high numbers of extreme noise cases include agriculture, construction, manufacturing, utilities, transportation and the military.

ISSUES IN HIGH NOISE ENVIRONMENTS

The issue at hand is two-part, the first being that workers need to be able to communicate when they are on the job. Maintaining the ability to communicate should not be a key factor in the reason behind extreme occupational hearing loss. Given that many high noise working environments make communication extremely difficult, it becomes even more important that employers seek external means to correct this issue, especially considering the need to communicate is not going to change. Workers must have a way to effectively communicate with others in the workplace without being forced or even tempted to remove their hearing protection.

Currently, workers often take off their hearing protection device, exposing themselves to a brief but damaging period of high-decibel noise levels. This type of permanent damage is taking place when a worker simply needs to get a message across, or listen for an instruction to be given. It stands to reason that if you provide a hearing protector that allows people to hear in extremely loud environments while protecting their hearing, workers will be more inclined to wear them. Not having to worry about missing a message from a boss or coworker allows for easier use of hearing protection technology. This especially is true when you consider that one of the leading reasons for occupational hearing loss is the removal of hearing protection, or not using the protection at all.

The second part of this pressing issue is that some of the current technology being used in extremely loud working environments only focuses on one part of the problem. Beyond being able to communicate effectively, it is imperative that hearing protection devices allow for workers to maintain situational awareness, meaning the ability to hear their surrounding area. Being able to hear a piece of machinery that is in use behind them or an explosion of some sort is just as important as communicating effectively.

High-noise environments potentially are dangerous to the employees working in them. More importantly, enabling workers to maintain situational awareness absolutely is critical to their safety. Historically, accidents related to these types of high-noise industries often could have been avoided if the worker had been more aware of his or her surroundings. Unfortunately, traditional hearing protection solutions (passive ear-plugs and ear muffs) inhibit the ability of workers to be aware of their surroundings, and although they may protect their hearing, they diminish situational awareness.

NEW TECHNOLOGY

The latest technology has been able to enable clear and safe communication in extremely high noise environments. It also enables users to communicate in extreme high noise levels via face-to-face communication, two-way radio or Bluetooth through a cell phone without having to remove their hearing protection. Additionally, these devices can offer communication in short-range distances (up to 50 meters), and take work safety a step further by enabling use of the device where hazardous and potentially combustible materials are present, such as oil and gas facilities and chemical manufacturing plants.