6:42 AM
Vinay Singh
Most places of work expose their employees to noise. Although some places may be louder than at others, it is important for employers to be aware that excessively loud noise can cause long-term, irreversible damage to their employees hearing and senses.
Hearing loss in the workplace was relatively unheard of prior to the latest reports in the press surrounding the complaints made by various insurance groups of the sudden rise in claims by employees seeking compensation for hearing problems.
It has however highlighted the real risks of noise induced hearing loss and the importance of protecting employees because although the Law does cover them, the severity of noise induced hearing loss is more than often overlooked.
Once noise induced hearing loss has occurred, the affects are permanent. Therefore, as the famous saying goes, prevention is better than cure, especially in the UK were 1 in 7 of the population are either deaf or hard of hearing.
Due to the harmful effects that excessively loud or long lasting noise levels can have on our hearing, it has become something that the Health and Safety Regulations now take very seriously. With over a million Britons at work exposed to potentially dangerous levels of noise every day, it's no surprise that companies are being urged to comply with the necessary 'legal limits' to protect their employees from suffering permanent hearing damage.
By appointing, training and equipping health and safety staff with the right type of noise measurement equipment, employers will be able to monitor and manage the noise levels on the premises and determine whether or not there is a problem, and if so, who is at risk.
Once a noise control system is in place, it should be reviewed regularly for maximum effect. Particularly if, for example, new equipment has being introduced for employees to manage or if there has been changes to the layout of the company as this could mean that some members of staff who were not previously at risk to high noise levels might be now.
If the general atmosphere at work involves people having to shout at each other in order to be heard, or that people often find it difficult hearing one another, then the noise levels are probably too high and need to be addressed.
For companies whose employees move around a lot during the day, personal noise measurement devices are available. These are usually worn on the shoulder to get an accurate reading of the noise levels they are exposed to on a daily basis.
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