MAKING INDUSTRY WORK BETTER
A shout-out for hearing protection Chris Raynor Hearing and Communications Specialist
If there’s one thing hearing protection is good at, it’s blocking-out noise. If there’s one thing it’s bad at, it’s telling the difference between dangerous noise and useful sounds: like colleagues’ voices, spoken instructions, and even alarms. So now that shouting from a close distance (under two metres) is no longer a safe option, how can employers protect their employees’ hearing, and still keep them safe in general? With a real risk of hearing loss or tinnitus, noise is a health and safety issue. So under the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, employers must provide hearing protection where there’s exposure to a daily or weekly average noise level of 85 decibels or above. But hearing protection can cause problems as well as prevent them.
‘Did you say “on” or “off”?’ There are countless scenarios on any production line where giving clear instructions is essential. And where hearing them clearly is more essential still. An engineer about to start work on machinery wants to be sure the operator hears ‘switch it off’ at the right moment, and doesn’t mishear ‘switch it on’ at the wrong one. Or if there’s an accident and, for example, someone is trapped in machinery, they’ll be reassured to know their call for help
Noise is a health and safety issue Issue 42
