Frequently asked questions FAQs

Frequently asked questions FAQs when workers can wear hearing When do I need to provide hearing What happens if an employee refuses to wear hearingDeafness is caused by damage http://www.amateurpin.org to the structures within the cochlea (For an explanation of the ear see RNID information and resources behind the scenes). noises need to be louder to be able to hear them. Sometimes after being subjected to loud noises people experience deafness that goes away after a while. This is called temporary threshold shift. But after sudden, extremely loud explosive noises, or more usually prolonged lower level exposures to noise over a number of years, permanent hearing loss can occur. It may be that the damage caused is only noticeable when it becomes severe enough to interfere with daily life. This incurable hearing loss may mean that the individual's family complains about the television being too loud, the individual cannot keep up with conversations in a group, or they have trouble using the telephone. Eventually everything becomes muffled and people find it difficult to catch sounds like 't', 'd' and 's', so they confuse similar words. Social situations can become very difficult. Age and general fitness are no protection from hearing loss young people can be damaged as easily as the old. Someone in their mid twenties can have the hearing that would be expected in a 65 year old. Once ears have been damaged by noise there is no http://www.botshop.org cure. Hearing loss is not the only problem. Tinnitus or ringing in the ears may be caused as well. Most people suffer temporary tinnitus from time to time, often after a spell in a noisy place, but with noise damaged ears it can become permanent. Some people find it more distressing than the hearing loss. Are there any methods of treatment for hearing related conditions ie tinnitus? Permanent hearing damage, which can be caused immediately by sudden, extremely loud, explosive noises, or gradually due to prolonged exposure noise, is thought to be incurable. Tinnitus (ringing, whistling, buzzing or humming in the ears) is another possible problem arising from excessive exposure to noise. This distressing condition can also lead to disturbed sleep. Unfortunately there is no treatment for noise induced tinnitus. For further information on tinnitus go to the British tinnitus association website. Do I have a noise problem at work? This will depend on how loud the noise is and how long you are exposed to it. As a simple guide you will probably have to do something about noise if any of the following apply: Is the noise intrusive like a busy street, a vacuum cleaner or a crowded restaurant for most of the working day? Do employees have to raise their voices to carry out normal converation when about 2 metres apart for at least part of the working day? Do employees use noisy powered tools or machinery for more than half an hour each day? Do you work in a noisy industry, eg construction, demolition or road repair; woodworking; plastics processing; engineering; textile manufacture; general fabricattion; forging, pressing or stamping; paper or board making; canning or bottling; foundries? Are there noises due to impacts (such as hammering, drop forging, pneumatic impact tools etc), explosive sources such as cartridge operated tools or detonators, or guns?