Protecting your hearing at work

More than 1.1 million Australians are exposed to harmful noise levels in the workplace. Are you one of them?

“People often ask ‘what’s too loud?’,” says audiologist, Karen Hirschausen, Hearing Australia’s Principal Audiologist. Essentially, if you’re in a situation where you need to raise your voice to be understood at conversational distance (1-2 metres), then the noise is probably too loud.

“Repeated or lengthy exposure to sounds above 85 decibels, which is approximately the level of a forklift or front-end loader, can cause permanent damage,” says Hirschausen.

Who’s at risk?

SafeWork Australia says that while construction and manufacturing are known to have the highest noise issues, people working in other industries are also at risk, including emergency responders, DJs and musicians, farmers and teachers.’

If you work in a noisy environment, its vital that you take action to protect your ears. Talk to your employer about hearing protection and other personal protective equipment (PPE).