Do You Need Hearing Protection at Your Job?

There are many ways in which you have to protect yourself and your safety at work. And one aspect of health and safety in the workplace that should never be overlooked is hearing protection. If you’re exposed to loud noises in your line of work each day, you’ll end up putting your hearing at risk and potentially experiencing hearing loss later. So do you need hearing protection at your job? The information below should help you to answer that question.

Hearing Protection in the Workplace

Depending on your job, the right hearing protection can be the difference between staying safe and healthy at work on the one hand and experiencing potentially life-changing hearing loss on the other. That’s how important the use of the correct hearing protection at work really is.

There’s a wide array of jobs that require people to use hearing protection. Whether indoors or outdoors, whether the sound is directly coming from the tools you’re using or some external factor, the general rule to follow is if you’re being exposed to loud noises consistently at work, you should be using hearing protection.

Noise Levels and Hearing Damage

Of course, the level of noise you’re exposed to will have a significant impact on whether you should use hearing protection and what kind of hearing protection is most appropriate. That’s why it’s usually a good idea to start by recording the noise levels and understanding them.

Any noises louder than 85 decibels are generally considered to be potentially damaging to human hearing. Even at slightly lower levels than that, the usage of hearing protection can be advisable. The greater the noise levels, the more important the right kind of protection is.

The Importance of Hearing Protection at Work

But why is hearing protection so important at work. Well, many of us spend a sizable number of our waking hours at work. And if you’re consistently exposed to loud noises in these environments, they’ll eventually cause damage. Continued exposure increases the risk of harm.

Hearing loss can come in varying degrees. It’s important to consider how hearing loss can impact other areas of your general health and well-being too. For example, hearing loss can damage communication skills and increase social isolation, in turn creating more mental health problems. That’s why protection and, when necessary, treatment, are so important to your hearing.

Choosing Hearing Protection

When it comes to choosing the hearing protection you’re going to need to use, it all comes down to what you’re going to be doing. For the loudest noises, it makes the most sense to use earmuffs that cover the whole ear. For softer noises that nevertheless present a risk to your hearing, it’s best to choose custom-molded earplugs.

It’s definitely a good idea to think about whether you’re currently in a line of work that requires you to take steps to improve your hearing. The sooner you put in place the hearing protection you need, the less likely you’ll be to suffer problems with your hearing later on.