Industrial Deafness
Posted by Corey Goodwin on July 13, 2011 under Personal Injury | 
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When the noise range in a workplace exceeds the usual safe levels then employees can become at risk of industrial deafness. Items in the working environment, most commonly forms of machinery are the primary cause for this health concern. The most commonly affected occupations include engineering
The Noise at Work Act (1989) was introduced by the Government to try and tackle industrial deafness in the last 1980s. In 2005 this Act was replaced with an updated and more relevant version labelled the Control of Noise at Work Regulations. The safe hearing level was reduced to 85dbs and once this level was breached the Act came into place to protect the workers. For workers that were regularly subjected to noises above this level mandatory hearing checks applied.
Sufferers of industrial deafness can exhibit many symptoms including struggling to hear speech, lack of hearing in either one or both ears, constant ringing or buzzing noise in ears or needing to turn the television, radio or music up to a higher level than normal because they are struggling to hear.
Providing that industrial deafness is found in time it can be treated. The treatment however cannot always repair the damage that has already been done. Medical professionals can use a variety of techniques aimed at helping to restore the levels of a person’s hearing these include the use of sound therapy and hearing aids to help patients restore their levels of hearing to a level where they can hear again.
Modern technology has allowed workplaces to provide their staff with well-developed sound protection equipment. One of the most common forms of protection are Ear Defenders. These products aim to block out all of the sound produced within the surrounding environment and are used by companies when the noise range is in excess of 80db.
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