Safety

Sound Is the New Workplace Safety Frontier

Any noise above 85 decibels has the potential to cause permanent hearing loss.
By Stan Phillips
April 12, 2022
Topics
Safety

Year after year, onsite accidents result in expensive medical bills, increased insurance premiums, salaries, retraining expenses and lawsuits. Slips, falls and struck-by incidents, as well as hearing loss from noise exposure are contributing factors.

Everyone that has been on a construction site knows that you can be exposed to high levels of noise. Noise from jobsite machinery can easily exceed 100 decibels (dB). Exposure to other constant noises such as highway noise can also be present. To give context to this, although Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations are enforced on jobsites across the country and the recommended limit is 90 dB of noise exposure, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) sets the limit at 85 dB. Any noise above this level has the potential to cause permanent hearing loss.

Types of noise

Noise on construction sites comes in two forms: continuous and impact/impulse noise. Often, workers experience them simultaneously.
Continuous noise comes from bulldozers, milling machines, compactors, generators and other jobsite machinery. Work environments, such as highway construction, add to the continuous noise factor.

Impact/Impulse noises, such as jackhammers and nail guns, and sudden noises like sheet metal landing on concrete, are short in duration but potentially even more dangerous than continuous noise and can cause more ear damage.

Noise and hearing loss can lead to other health problems

Studies show that excessive noise exposure can cause anxiety, depression and severe mental health issues. Suicide rates in construction are extremely high—some of the highest of all industries. In addition, loud noise levels can increase heart rate and cardiovascular disease. Recent research has shown a direct link between Alzheimer's disease and hearing loss. Even someone with just mild hearing loss has a three times higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s than those with no hearing loss.

Operating in high-noise environments also creates safety concerns

Construction ranks high in workplace injuries and fatalities. OSHA has identified four hazards they call the Focus Four Hazards. They are: fall hazards, caught-in-between hazards, struck-by hazards and electrical hazards. Earplugs are the most common type of hearing protection provided, and workers often resist using them because they decrease workers’ ability to communicate, as well as their ability to hear surrounding auditory cues, such as the location of warning sounds (e.g., moving vehicles or verbal warnings). Additionally, many construction workers already have hearing loss, making it even more difficult for jobsite communication or situational awareness when they wear earplugs or other hearing protection devices.

Until now, there were no hearing protection solutions that allowed adequate communication capabilities, while also providing hearing protection and effective situational awareness. Earplugs or earmuffs may provide sufficient hearing protection but fall short on adequate sound localization and clear communication capabilities in loud noise environments. Even more expensive electronic solutions fall short when trying to deliver natural, realistic sound and the ability to accurately locate sound sources.

New audio technology advancements lead to Increased workplace productivity

The advantage of applying new, state-of-the-art audio technologies is that all three of the key benefits for workplace safety can now be available in one product. Advancements in sound immersion, directionality, and speech intelligibility, combine to provide hearing protection, uninterrupted auditory situational awareness and the ability to communicate either face to face or through Bluetooth-connected radios and phones. Now teams can safely work and communicate around heavy machinery. If a supervisor or foreman on a noisy jobsite needs to take a phone call, it can be done without stepping away from the site while still preserving their situational awareness and protecting their hearing.

Workers' compensation insurance is a huge expense for construction companies due to the dangerous nature of the job. It is now possible to incorporate new technology advancements, in the form of next-gen safety wearables, into a comprehensive worker safety program. When assessing your workplace safety needs, make sure you are up to date on new hearing protection that offers safety, communication and accurate auditory situational awareness.

by Stan Phillips

Dr. Stan Phillips is an Otolaryngologist and a member of the National Hearing Conservation Association. For more information on hearing protection, visit clear360products.com/construction.

Related stories

Safety
Mitigating Struck-By Incidents on the Jobsite
By Rob Dahl
Some workplace injuries are more serious than others, but that doesn't mean mitigating them has to be more complicated.
Safety
Cultivating a Company Culture Committed to Safety, Mentorship and Education
By David Frazier
Mentorships, education and employee training programs still work wonders when cultivating a culture of wellbeing at your construction company.
Safety
Where's the Fire?
By John Heinen
Fire safety on construction sites is at a crossroads. It’s time for an approach based on collaboration, education and training—and powered by wireless digital solutions.

Follow us




Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Stay in the know with the latest industry news, technology and our weekly features. Get early access to any CE events and webinars.