Hearing loss is a generic term that encompasses a wide range of issues and various degrees of disabilities. Typically, hearing loss can be a progressive process, often occurring subtly over time. If not taken seriously, hearing loss can leave uninformed workers in high-noise environments with permanent hearing impairments. Not only is this damaging for the worker, but this also affects the company or business owner greatly, as they can be held liable for the health and safety of their employees.
Employee safety must always be the top priority in the workplace. To effectively ensure the safety of employees, it is important to understand the characteristics of hearing loss and how it can start. Sensear’s infographic on the seven degrees of hearing loss provides detailed information about these characteristics.
Hearing is one of the five senses. Although we do not even have to think about how we hear, it is a complex process that your brain can normally process very quickly. Even before birth, infants respond to sounds. From birth, the human ear is a fully developed body part that responds to noises both faint and loud. The ability to hear is such an integral part of how we understand the world around us that even slight hearing loss can have a major impact on our daily lives.
The severity of the hearing loss is measured in decibels or dB for short. People with no hearing loss or normal hearing can identify noises as low as 15 dB(A), regardless of the level of background noise around them, and have conversations without needing to strain themselves. Once introduced to harmful noises, the thresholds start to rise – thus, introducing the seven degrees of hearing loss.
All seven degrees of hearing loss can be caused by the same medical conditions, lifestyle factors, or injuries; however, the severity of hearing loss depends on the amount of exposure to significant levels of noise over different periods of time.
There are several symptoms of hearing loss that companies and employees should watch for:
Loud noise is extremely detrimental to the proper functioning of the ear. The level, strength, and duration of the exposure can all impact hearing. Damaging sound levels are once again measured in decibels. Sounds of 150 dB(A) are described as extremely painful. Fireworks at three feet produce a sound of 150 dB(A). Jackhammers, jet plane takeoffs, and sirens are characterized as other “painful” sounds. To decrease the risk of hearing loss in such circumstances, individuals need to get in the habit of using the right kind of ear protection.
If your workplace environment is noisy, it is important to have the proper hearing protective devices (HPDs) for your employees. Sensear’s SENS® Technology in our Digital Communication Headsets suppresses noise in the surrounding environment while allowing users to still communicate with each other. Sensear is helping businesses across the globe effectively manage their noisy work environments to keep their employees safe, efficient, and productive.
SENS® works by limiting loud background noises while processing and separating speech, allowing the wearer to hear speech, alarms, or other important sounds. This is perfect for potentially dangerous environments such as factories, heavy industrial sites, etc. where workers need to be able to hear their coworkers yet require loud machinery noises to be suppressed. SENS® achieves this by using a high-tech sound filtration of built-in digital signal processing.
Use our Hearing Protection Calculator to calculate the sound level at the ear when wearing hearing protection. If your HPDs are not providing the correct level of hearing protection for your workers, choose the right hearing protection and prevent hearing loss. Contact us today for a free consultation to discuss your concerns, or download our Buyer’s Guide to Communication Headsets.