Page 12 - Occupational Health & Safety, March 2019

HEARING PROTECTION
Not Your Grandpa’s Ear Muffs
Advances in passive hearing protection improve comfort, fit, and function.
BY LISA STECKERT
This month marks the 146th birthday of the ear muff, first invented to keep Chester Greenwood’s ears warm while skating in Maine. But by 1884, ear muffs were designed to deliver hearing protection for soldiers and sailors, then underwent further innovations to protect against jet engine noise during the Second World War.1 Fash- ioned with stiff cushions and a strong headband, their nascent design was said to deliver a vicelike grip.
Today, ear muffs are arguably one of the most vital forms of industrial personal protective equip- ment. While ear muffs have long served to protect individuals from excessive noise and its damaging effects on hearing, the ways in which they do so are constantly evolving to afford workers improved comfort, fit, and function.
We rely on our sense of hearing both in and out of work to communicate, conduct tasks, experience the world, and stay safe. But excessive noise—a hazard faced by 22 million U.S. workers each year2—presents a permanent risk to our hearing and overall well-be- ing. In fact, noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is the single most common permanent and preventable oc- cupational injury.3
When you consider the toll hearing loss takes on individuals, business, and society, it’s easy to see great value in preserving workers’ hearing. Now, as we celebrate the ear muff’s anniversary, is the perfect time to look at the latest advances in passive hearing protection. By making informed selections and tak- ing advantage of new technologies, you can help each
of your workers find the passive ear muff that’s right for them—and ensure they return home day after day, decade after decade, with their hearing intact.
Impacts of Workplace Noise
When ear muffs were first designed as hearing protec- tors, the relationship between noise exposure and hear- ing loss seemed simple and was not well understood. Today, however, the effects of working in excessive noise are understood in much greater detail—and the cost of NIHL is much greater than previously believed.
Noise is considered loud (i.e., hazardous for hu- mans) when it reaches or exceeds 85 decibels for more than eight continuous hours.4 The effects of exposure to loud noise are multifaceted. For starters, noise at work can create physical and psychological stress, reduce productivity, interfere with communication and con- centration, and contribute to workplace accidents and injuries by making it difficult to hear warning signals.5
One-time exposure to high-intensity impact or impulsive noise can lead to temporary effects such as a change in hearing (muffled hearing or a stuffed-up sensation) or tinnitus (ringing in the ears). Impulse noise of sufficient intensity can cause instantaneous permanent hearing loss and tinnitus.
Long-term exposure to continuous loud noise may cause permanent hearing loss, which may be incurable by surgery or hearing aids. NIHL is unlike most injuries because it’s often painless and progres- sive. In fact, it often goes unnoticed until irreversible damage has occurred. Yet once incurred, NIHL has a
10 Occupational Health & Safety | MARCH 2019
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