Noise at Work
As we become old our hearing gradually gets worse however what if working in an environment that is noisy make this occur quicker. Hearing loss and damage due to work is generally preventable and it is the responsibilities of the business owners to safeguard workers from the dangers due to noise at work. As soon as hearing has been damaged it’ll never return and the outcomes on the individual and their family may be damaging.
There is estimation from the Health and Safety Executive that about a million workers in the UK work with levels of noise that put their hearing in danger. Also it is reported that there was suffering from hearing problems for over 20,000 people in the last year and there is a belief that most are work-related.
The measurement of noise is in decibels (db) and begins from silent 0 db to 120 db or more in some industries. Exposure to noise levels that are low or moderate will possibly not cause much harm but there can be damage to the ear through continuing exposure to loud noise and therefore lessen hearing ability.
Noise Reduction
A duty is placed on business owners by the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 for taking action when the levels of noise reach particular limit. As is the usual practice in UK Health and Safety law you must finish a risk assessment and if there is possible exposure of your employees to harmful levels, for controlling the risks you have to implement an action plan. This means looking at alternative processes, making equipment quieter, or reduction in the exposure time of the staff to the noise. It is not just sufficient to give ear protection to staff and allow them to carry on as usual since this would be a violation of the regulations unless nothing else could absolutely be done.
Stopping damage to hearing will possibly work only if there is cooperation between business owners and staff and reduction of noise is made a priority. A noise reduction program is probably to consist of considering plant and machinery to see if it could be made quieter, provide instruction and information to staff on the way to safeguard their hearing and a scheme for health surveillance for monitoring staff hearing.
Periodic hearing checks are important for monitoring the effect noise has on staff and the employer will be given an opportunity for identifying any problems at the earliest and ensure appropriate support needed.
Conclusion
Hearing loss caused due to noise is yet a main health issue not being addressed by employers sufficiently. Being a business owner, providing ear defenders and a hearing test occasionally is not sufficient to restrain staff from hearing problems and for action lacking in your legal duties you being taken to court.