Are you listening?

Employers need to open their ears to the noise in their workplace and ensure that they are doing everything possible to protect the hearing of their staff.

The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) says that, despite the 2005 Control of Noise at Work Regulations that were introduced in April 2006, too many workers are still being exposed to noise so loud that it could damage their hearing.

In the UK, over 1.1 million people work in environments where they are at risk from high levels of noise. These include people who work in noisy environments, such as engineering, construction and the entertainment industry, or those who use noisy machinery. Sadly, 170,000 people suffer deafness, tinnitus or other ear conditions caused by their work.

Richard Jones, director of technical affairs at IOSH, said itís important that employers try to eliminate harmful noise in the first place. If this canít be done, they need to reduce noise levels, minimise staff exposure and where appropriate, provide suitable hearing protection.

ìSuffering hearing loss is a terrible personal tragedy for the individual concerned and can bring with it a whole host of other problems, such as loss of confidence in dealing with people, frustration, loneliness and, in severe cases, depression. But hearing loss caused by work is something that is largely preventable.

ìBecause you canít see it and the harm may take some time to develop, noise can be a forgotten hazard in the workplace. However, with large numbers believing they are suffering a hearing problem caused or made worse by work (68,000 [1] in 2005 / 06), employers need to take urgent action to assess the risks and take necessary action to protect their workers.î

The Control of Noise at Work Regulations require workers to have hearing protection available to them at 80dB(A). Workers are required to wear hearing protection where the noise is at or above 85dB(A). The music and entertainment sectors have until 6 April 2008 to adopt the new regulations, while continuing to comply with the 1989 regulations requirements to reduce the risk of hearing damage to employees.

[1] SWI Table 3, 2005 / 06 http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/0506/swit3.htm