Knowing about your occupational hearing loss

Transcription

1 Knowing about your occupational hearing loss

2 Knowing about occupational hearing loss Occupational hearing loss is common in people who have spent a lot of time working in noisy conditions. Long-term loud noise at work can damage the inner ear, causing hearing loss. Signs of noise-induced hearing loss are: inability to hear quiet sounds, especially highpitched sounds difficulty hearing speech, especially when there is background noise ringing in the ears (tinnitus), although this can also occur with other hearing and non-hearing conditions. Hearing also tends to get worse with age, and this agerelated hearing loss can combine with noise-induced hearing loss to make the problem worse. It s important to protect yourself from loud noise (whether at work or leisure) before your hearing gets any worse.

3 temporal bone ossicles (ear bones) hearing nerve inner ear (cochlea) ear drum (tympanic membrane) auditory tube (or Eustachian) the ear IMPORTANT: information in this booklet is not intended to replace advice from a health professional.

4 Did you know? Long-term loud noise can damage the inner ear (the cochlea) and if the noise continues this damage will get worse. Mild hearing loss does not protect you from more loss. If you work in a noisy place and don t protect yourself, your hearing will get worse. Noise at home or during recreation is just as bad as noise at work. Shooting, loud music and noisy power tools are common causes of hearing loss. People with hearing loss can usually go on working in the same job, but may need hearing aids and different ways of communicating.

5 Employers in noisy occupations and industries are required by law to keep records of workplace noise levels and to test workers hearing regularly. Reducing noise in the workplace is the best way to prevent occupational hearing loss. If you can t avoid loud noise, use ear plugs or ear muffs. Ear plugs or muffs are rated by the Department of Labour according to the level of protection they provide. The noisier the environment, the higher the rating of hearing protection you need. However, there are reasons such as needing to communicate for safety reasons for not always using the highest rating.

6 How loud is too loud? The law and loud noise at work Noise is measured in decibels (db or dba). Workplace noise standards are defined in the Health and Safety Regulations of These standards are based on two exposure criteria: noise levels and hours of exposure in a 24-hour day. According to the 1995 regulations, a person can safely be exposed to 85dB of noise for up to eight hours in a day, and peak noise levels should not exceed 140dB. Employers have a responsibility to control noise levels in workplaces. If it is not possible to control noise levels, employers must provide (and employees must wear) ear plugs or muffs. The red bar below shows how long it takes before a noise level becomes dangerous to the human ear. For example, a power lawn mower puts out about 90dB of sound. Without proper hearing protection, running a lawn mower for two hours over the course of a 24-hour day can become dangerous to the human ear.

7 Meanwhile, unprotected exposure to a bulldozer (105dB) can become dangerous in about four minutes time. Warning signs The noise is too loud and may be damaging your hearing if: you have to shout to make yourself heard you feel as if you re losing balance you notice a dulling of sounds, or have ringing in your ears at the end of a shift you have regular temporary hearing loss after work noise levels at work average 85dB or more.

8 What can you do to help? There are a number of ways to manage your hearing loss and reduce the risk of further complications: Always seek advice and treatment from your local GP first. Always wear ear plugs or muffs when it s noisy, whether you re at work or not. Spend as little time as possible in noisy places or doing noisy jobs. Ask your employer or workplace Health & Safety officer about reducing noise levels, or reducing your exposure to noise, and whether you may need hearing protection. It may be possible for your work to be rescheduled or for noisy equipment to be shut away. Have regular hearing tests as these will pick up the signs of more hearing loss. Some people are more sensitive to noise than others and do not get enough protection from ear plugs or muffs. A hearing test will pick this up before the damage gets worse. If you need extra protection, such as higher-rated hearing protectors, ask for it. You have a right to safeguard your hearing at work. Report any post-shift hearing loss to your manager. Use hearing aids if you need to and talk about any related problems with an Audiologist.

9 How can ACC help you? ACC helps people whose noise-induced hearing loss is due to a noisy New Zealand workplace. We can help you by: providing helpful information, support and guidance making fair decisions about your cover and entitlements possibly helping you with rehabilitation services. ACC requires a specialist opinion that your hearing loss is likely to have been caused by noise at work. If you have had hearing tests done over the years, these may help support your ACC claim, so please tell ACC about your test results if you have them. ACC may not, however, be able to help people who lose their hearing for other reasons. For more information give us a call on or visit our website

10 Help is never far away If you do experience hearing loss, there are a number of people such as friends, family and health professionals that can help you. family and friends can: support and encourage you to stay positive. Living with hearing loss may not be easy but having others to help you can make things easier change the way they speak or communicate with you to make it easier be patient when listening to you. your workplace can: regularly monitor noise levels and reduce where possible give you regular hearing checks if noise levels are high provide ear plugs or muffs and make sure that staff wear them where necessary make sure you and your work colleagues can communicate in a noisy environment. an audiologist can: help you communicate with others at work and home let you know how you can protect your hearing fairly assess the cause and extent of your hearing loss so ACC can decide if they can cover you help with hearing aids or other devices. Even if ACC can t cover hearing aids they can discuss options with you to make your hearing loss easier repair your hearing aids or check that you have the right ones refer you to a hearing specialist if needed.

11 a hearing therapist can: help you with ways to communicate with work mates and family members give you advice on how to protect your hearing refer you to an Audiologist or GP for further assessment work with you and your family to develop a plan to help you. This could include things like suggesting louder telephones, or TV headsets that will make watching TV easier for you. an ear, nose and throat specialist can: make a fair assessment to help ACC make a decision on your cover, advice and treatment, and tips for protecting your hearing.

12 My important contacts my health professional (eg doctor, or ent specialist) Name Phone number my audiologist Name Phone number my acc contact person (eg case manager) Name Phone number ACC claim number other contacts Name Phone number Name Phone number For more information about ACC and our services, call or visit We have interpreters who can help you talk to us. Information presented in this publication is derived in part from The Medical Disability Advisor 4th Edition ACC4058 Printed April 2008