Given that about three-quarters of construction workers are exposed to noise levels above the recommended limit, 83 percent of the 237 contractors surveyed for a new Dodge Data & Analytics SmartMarket Brief say they’ve purchased quieter equipment, yet well over half of those firms report their company could do better.

Additionally, 85 percent of contractors report using hearing protection onsite more than 50 percent of the time, yet less than half say they always use it, suggesting a significant opportunity for improvement in the industry. Digging deeper, the survey determined small companies lag behind large and midsize ones in the use of hearing protection. Also, half of general contractors report always using hearing protection, compared to about one-third of trade contractors.

Only 35 percent of contractors report that they place loud equipment behind barriers (more than half of the time) to protect workers from the damage caused by noise. It’s slightly more common to isolate loud equipment from the work area, with 43 percent of respondents implementing this practice more than half of the time.

Read the full SmartMarket Brief for more information on musculoskeletal injury prevention, materials handling and safe lifting best practices, and safety leadership and mentorship.