Noisy Work Environments

On weekday mornings, our alarm rings, marking the beginning of a new day. We enjoy some juice, a cup of coffee, a good breakfast, and then we get dressed and head off to work. For some of us, the day will be spent in a quiet environment, where the only ambient noises are those of colleagues typing away at their keyboards and light conversations around the water cooler. For others, however, the soundscape will be quite different, filled with heavy machinery, tools, engines, loud voices, bells, alarms, and more.

Many workers experience this reality every day. From Monday to Friday, for 8 hours or more, thousands of people in the Quebec province work in environments that could potentially damage the quality of their hearing. These include factories, garages, airports, the entertainment industry, and even schools. Workers in noisy environments need to be made aware of the potential impact of excessively high decibels on their hearing health.

Through the awareness efforts of employers and their health and safety representatives, employees exposed to noise on a daily basis can learn how o protect their ears. For example, using custom armolds or earmuffs has to be mandatory—like wearing hard hats and safety glasses. All too often, noise-induced hearing loss is not taken into account, since it is not considered a workplace accident risk, but rather a slim possibility. However, the chances of noise exposure resulting in hearing loss are actually very high.

Under the pressure to perform, it can be easy to let the work hours pile up and put off any good intentions we might have about our hearing health. We come up with excuses and we might think we’ve developed an “immunity” to noise...

One day more, one day less... It won’t change anything!

Earmuffs are fine and all, but I have to take them off all the time to talk to my coworkers...

Earmolds? My father worked in a factory for 20 years and never had to wear any!

Unfortunately, no one can claim to be more “resistant” to loud noise than others. What’s more, the damage it causes is irreversible. It is therefore not only necessary, but crucial, to raise awareness among workers in noisy environments and to inform employers about the measures that can be put in place to reduce noise in the workplace. Employers and workers must collaborate to ensure a safe working environment by reducing noise levels at the source and providing hearing protectors.

Ongoing training and awareness programs can go a long way to promote hearing health and safety in the workplace. That’s why hearing health professionals from Lobe clinics travel to companies and trade schools to offer advice and recommendations. They can identify risky practices and suggest preventive solutions. By talking to workers on site, they can bring up interesting points about the importance of protecting their hearing, and invite them to become hearing health ambassadors within their teams.

The consequences of occupational noiseinduced hearing loss are numerous. Affected individuals may struggle to hear alarms or safety warnings, and may even experience social isolation. That’s why it’s important not only to take the necessary precautions to protect your hearing, but also to consult a hearing health professional if you have any doubts about the quality of your hearing. An initial evaluation will serve as a comparative basis for future consultations. That way, you’ll be able to keep track of your hearing capacity over the coming months and years. Be proactive, be on the lookout and, above all, listen to your hearing!