Knowing about your occupational hearing loss

8/12/2019 Knowing about your occupational hearing loss

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Knowing about your

occupationalhearing loss


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Occupational hearing loss is common in people whohave spent a lot of time working in noisy conditions.

Long-term loud noise at work can damage the inner ear,

causing hearing loss.

Signs of noise-induced hearing loss are:

inability to hear quiet sounds, especially high-

pitched sounds

difficulty hearing speech, especially when there is

background noise

ringing in the ears (tinnitus), although this can

also occur with other hearing and non-hearing

conditions.

Hearing also tends to get worse with age, and this age-

related hearing loss can combine with noise-induced

hearing loss to make the problem worse.

Its important to protect yourself from loud noise

(whether at work or leisure) before your hearing gets

any worse.

Knowing about occupationalhearing loss


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IMPORTANT: information in this booklet is

not intended to replace advice from a health

professional.

the ear

temporal bone

ossicles (ear bones)

hearing nerve

inner ear(cochlea)

auditory tube(or Eustachian)

ear drum(tympanic membrane)


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Did you know?

Long-term loud noise can damage the inner ear (thecochlea) and if the noise continues this damage will

get worse.

Mild hearing loss does not protect you from more

loss. If you work in a noisy place and dont protect

yourself, your hearing will get worse.

Noise at home or during recreation is just as bad

as noise at work. Shooting, loud music and noisy

power tools are common causes of hearing loss.

People with hearing loss can usually go on working

in the same job, but may need hearing aids and

different ways of communicating.


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Employers in noisy occupations and industries arerequired by law to keep records of workplace noise

levels and to test workers hearing regularly.

Reducing noise in the workplace is the best way to

prevent occupational hearing loss. If you cant avoid

loud noise, use ear plugs or ear muffs. Ear plugsor muffs are rated by the Department of Labour

according to the level of protection they provide.

The noisier the environment, the higher the rating

of hearing protection you need. However, there

are reasons such as needing to communicate forsafety reasons for not always using the highest

rating.


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The law and loud noise at workNoise is measured in decibels (dB or dBA). Workplace

noise standards are defined in the Health and Safety

Regulations of 1995. These standards are based on two

exposure criteria: noise levels and hours of exposure in

a 24-hour day.

According to the 1995 regulations, a person can safely

be exposed to 85dB of noise for up to eight hours in a

day, and peak noise levels should not exceed 140dB.

Employers have a responsibility to control noise levels

in workplaces. If it is not possible to control noise levels,

employers must provide (and employees must wear) ear

plugs or muffs.

The red bar below shows how long it takes before a

noise level becomes dangerous to the human ear. For

example, a power lawn mower puts out about 90dB of

sound. Without proper hearing protection, running a

lawn mower for two hours over the course of a 24-hour

day can become dangerous to the human ear.

How loud is too loud?


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Meanwhile, unprotected exposure to a bulldozer (105dB)can become dangerous in about four minutes time.

Warning signs

The noise is too loud and may be damaging yourhearing if:

you have to shout to make yourself heard

you feel as if youre losing balance

you notice a dulling of sounds, or have ringing in

your ears at the end of a shift

you have regular temporary hearing loss after work

noise levels at work average 85dB or more.


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What can you do to help?

There are a number of ways to manage your hearingloss and reduce the risk of further complications:

Always seek advice and treatment from your local

GP first.

Always wear ear plugs or muffs when its noisy,

whether youre at work or not.

Spend as little time as possible in noisy places or

doing noisy jobs.

Ask your employer or workplace Health & Safety

officer about reducing noise levels, or reducing

your exposure to noise, and whether you may need

hearing protection. It may be possible for your work

to be rescheduled or for noisy equipment to be shut

away.

Have regular hearing tests as these will pick up

the signs of more hearing loss. Some people are

more sensitive to noise than others and do not

get enough protection from ear plugs or muffs. A

hearing test will pick this up before the damage gets

worse.

If you need extra protection, such as higher-rated

hearing protectors, ask for it. You have a right to

safeguard your hearing at work.

Report any post-shift hearing loss to your manager.

Use hearing aids if you need to and talk about anyrelated problems with an Audiologist.


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How can ACC help you?

ACC helps people whose noise-induced hearing loss isdue to a noisy New Zealand workplace. We can help you

by:

providing helpful information, support and guidance

making fair decisions about your cover and

entitlements

possibly helping you with rehabilitation services.

ACC requires a specialist opinion that your hearing loss

is likely to have been caused by noise at work.

If you have had hearing tests done over the years, thesemay help support your ACC claim, so please tell ACC

about your test results if you have them.

ACC may not, however, be able to help people who lose

their hearing for other reasons.

For more information give us a call on 0800 101 996 orvisit our website www.acc.co.nz


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Help is never far away

If you do experience hearing loss, there are a number ofpeople such as friends, family and health professionals

that can help you.

an audiologist can:

help you communicate with others at work and home

let you know how you can protect your hearing

fairly assess the cause and extent of your hearing loss so

ACC can decide if they can cover you help with hearing aids or other devices. Even if ACC cant

cover hearing aids they can discuss options with you to

make your hearing loss easier

repair your hearing aids or check that you have the right

ones

refer you to a hearing specialist if needed.

your workplace can:

regularly monitor noise levels and reduce where possible

give you regular hearing checks if noise levels are high

provide ear plugs or muffs and make sure that staff wear

them where necessary

make sure you and your work colleagues can communicate

in a noisy environment.

family and friends can:

support and encourage you to stay positive. Living with

hearing loss may not be easy but having others to help

you can make things easier

change the way they speak or communicate with you to

make it easier

be patient when listening to you.


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an ear, nose and throat specialist can:

make a fair assessment to help ACC make a decision on

your cover, advice and treatment, and tips for protecting

your hearing.

a hearing therapist can:

help you with ways to communicate with work mates and

family members

give you advice on how to protect your hearing

refer you to an Audiologist or GP for further assessment

work with you and your family to develop a plan to helpyou. This could include things like suggesting louder

telephones, or TV headsets that will make watching TV

easier for you.


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Information presented in this publication is derived in part from

The Medical Disability Advisor 4th Edition

My important contacts

my health professional (eg doctor, or ent specialist)

Name

Phone number

my audiologist

Name

Phone numbermy acc contact person (eg case manager)

Name

Phone number

ACC claim number

other contacts

Name

Phone number

Name

Phone number

For more information about ACC and our services,

call 0800 101 996 or visit www.acc.co.nz.

We have interpreters who can help you talk to us.

Documents

Knowing about your occupational hearing loss