Page 59 - Occupational Health & Safety, May 2017

one of the most important, and most over- looked, factors when selecting a protector.
#2. Communication: Employees have the need to communicate at their workstations.
Beyond useability, communication in a noisy environment is important to transmit infor- mation or respond to safety instructions:
■ Your employees stay in touch with the sounds of their environment, including warning signals.
■ They wear their hearing protectors 100 percent of the time spent exposed to noise.
■ They speak to each other quietly, they are happier, and more peaceful at the end of the day.
Employees remove their hearing protec- tors often throughout the day. This can be because of their need to talk to colleagues and supervisors or hear orders over PC systems. Removing the hearing protector for just two minutes during an eight-hour work shift reduces the effectiveness of that device up to 25 percent. Choose a hearing protection device that allows you to safely communicate while exposed to dangerous levels of noise.
#3. Convenience or ease of use: Convenience is key for employees’ adoption.
Accessibility and simplicity in use are criti- cal factors in the successful implementa- tion of hearing protectors.
■ The hearing protector is easy to im- plement.
■ It adapts to the habits of the em- ployee and his work environment, with or without handles, with or without cord.
■ The hearing protector is compatible with other personal protective equipment.
Choose a hearing protector device that is easy to keep up with. Clips, cords, and other accessories may help with reducing the loss of protectors. This can also help companies reduce the cost of having to re- place protectors often. Easy and accessible is the way to go.
#4. Eco-friendly: Use hearing protection devices that are easy to clean and reduce waste.
A device that is placed into the ear canal or in contact with the skin must remain clean—for various sanitary reasons. Main- tenance is therefore important for pleasant use throughout the lifetime of the protector.
■ Hearing protectors are hypoaller- genic or biocompatible.
■ A maintenance kit is provided to en- sure that protectors are in proper working order and maintain the quality of their use.
■ Maintenance is simple and takes only a few minutes per week.
Sanitary hearing protection devices are also important to the workers’ health and
well-being. Work environments with heavy debris, humidity, and dust raise the chances of workers getting ear infections.
Takeaway
Choosing the right hearing protection is vital to you and to your workers’ hearing health. Taking into consideration the four factors above will help decision makers in selecting a device most appropriate to the needs of the worker and his or her environ- ment. Not all devices are equal, and select- ing the right hearing protection will ensure that employees are safe from Occupational Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (ONIHL) and other occupational diseases.
Remember, hearing loss is permanent but 100 percent preventable. Take the ap- propriate steps to safeguard yourself and your employees from the effects of danger- ous levels of noise.
Tabatha Cirgenski is a product expert at Cotral Lab Inc. and oversees all marketing efforts for the U.S. headquarters in Miami. Her primary goal, along with Cotral Lab, is to educate the industry about how to pro- tect your hearing from occupational noise and be an advocate for professionals who may not know that their hearing is in dan- ger. Ensuring that professionals are aware of these dangers is the first step in eradicating occupational hearing loss. Cotral Lab is part of various industry professional networks, including the American Industrial Hygiene Association, National Safety Council, and the South Florida Manufacturing Associa- tion, to name a few.
Comfort
Custom ear plugs
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Disposable ear plugs
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Earmuffs
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Reusable ear plugs
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Hygiene
Custom ear plugs
√√√
Disposable ear plugs
√
Earmuffs
√
Reusable ear plugs
√
Ease of use
Custom ear plugs
√√√
Disposable ear plugs
√
Earmuffs
√
Reusable ear plugs
√
Communication
Custom ear plugs
√√√
Disposable ear plugs
Earmuffs
Reusable ear plugs
www.ohsonline.com
MAY 2017 | Occupational Health & Safety 55
COTRAL LAB INC.