Almost 25% of Australians know someone suffering workplace-related hearing damage but one-in-three give little thought to protecting their own hearing, according to new research from Hearing Australia. This is despite 11% experiencing damage from workplace noise themselves.
Hearing Australia principal audiologist, Karen Hirschausen said, “National Safe Work Month in October reminds us that we must look after our hearing. The National Safe Work Month theme states that safety is everyone’s business – and not just in the workplace; hearing damage can also occur outside work. Our research found that more than one-in-five respondents have either experienced hearing damage from leisure activities or know someone who has.”
Hearing Australia’s surveyalso revealed that only one-in-four Australians think about hearing protection and use it at work or when undertaking noisy activities during their leisure time, and Australian women appear to think less about protecting their hearing than men.
Millennials appear to be more concerned about their appearance than their hearing, with one-in-four saying that they’d be too embarrassed to wear earplugs or earmuffs in a loud environment like a concert.
Hearing Australia principal audiologist, Karen Hirschausen.
“These statistics are a real concern. Hearing is such an important sense but more than 1.1 million Australians are exposed to hazardous noise in their workplace. Noise-induced hearing loss is one of the most common occupational diseases but it’s also one of the most preventable,” Hirschausen said.
In its Making A Noise About Hearing report, theNational Acoustic Laboratories (NAL), Hearing Australia’s research division found high noise levels in workplaces are associated with stress, headaches, tinnitus, fatigue and increased absenteeism – and have the potential to cause increased heart-rate, higher blood pressure and a greater risk of cardiovascular disease.
NAL found mitigating noise exposure isn’t a high priority for employers, employees or regulators. “Small to medium-sized businesses appear to be at greater risk of noise exposure. Safe Work Australia research found that within SMEs, there’s insufficient knowledge of the effects and the impact of loud noise on people’s hearing and quality of life. There also appears to be little consideration given to the benefits of noise control.”
While the main industries at risk of exceeding Australia’s noise exposure standard are mining, manufacturing, construction, farming and the Defence Force, according to NAL, there are other industries, such as hospitality, entertainment and retail, which are also exposed to loud noise.
Hearing Australia managing director, Kim Terrell added, “Nobody should lose their hearing because of the work they do. Hearing Australia is committed to helping prevent avoidable hearing loss in the workplace. And we believe more needs to be done to protect workers in high-risk industries such as construction, manufacturing and agriculture.”
Terrell believes workplace laws that stipulate noise-exposed workers should have their hearing tested when they start work, and then at two-yearly intervals, should be reinforced.
“More broadly, we also encourage people to use smartphone noise apps to track their own noise exposure. These apps can be a powerful tool for behavioural change, as you receive real-time feedback if a noise is too loud, so you can adjust your behaviour or the noise.”