Does Your Workplace Meet Legislated Requirements to Protect Workers Against Hearing Loss?
<b>Who Should Read This Article?</b>
The information provided in this article may be of potential value to managers and/or decision makers in small, medium or large scale manufacturing, production or factory operations.
Specific examples include establishments engaged in the mass production of FCMGs (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) using motorized or mechanised equipment.
<b>Noise Hazards Are Subtle But Harmful</b>
In most manufacturing and production workplace environments(such as factories, warehouses, bottling halls, mechanical workshops etc), most workers – due to the nature of their work – tend to be constantly exposed to noise hazards which could lead to hearing loss over a period of time.
However, due to its significantly less dramatic or noticeable impact, the risk of hearing impairment posed by the above mentioned situation may go unnoticed for long periods. As a result, little or no immediate attention and/or treatment will end up being given by management to it.
<b>Workplace Safety Requirement For Hearing Protection</b>
The practice in most developed countries of the world is to assist such workers through early detection of hearing difficulties, and where possible, undertake measures that will protect against such hazards.
In pursuance of this, various international and regulatory bodies such as Occupational Safety and Health Organisation Agency(OSHA), Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) and Nigeria’s Federal Protection Agency (FEPA) have legislated some minimum standards to be complied with in the workplace.
<i>Outlined below are generally accepted steps you can follow to meet those requirements.</i>
<b>1. Assess Your Employees’ Hearing Health BEFORE/AFTER They Start Work Via Routine Audiological Screening</b>
Periodic Audiological Screening of your employees is one of the steps you can take, towards conforming with the legislated requirements.
This strategy can have considerable advantages – a particularly important one being that it can help you AVOID paying compensation for hearing loss that DID NOT happen while a worker was employed in your company. For instance, research has shown that seemingly sudden occurrences of hearing loss discovered in workplaces may not be ascribed entirely to exposure to noise in the workplace. In several known cases, employment offers have been made to job applicants or prospective workers who were in fact already suffering from one form of hearing defect or the other. Such pre-employment hearing health conditions would have been detected if the workers concerned had been subjected to audiological screening prior to their assumption of work in the factory or refinery.
By doing the above, the degree of damage attributable to noise exposure in the workplace can then be ascertained with a greater degree of accuracy. This will consequently determine the size of compensation – if any – to be paid to any worker who claims to have lost his/her hearing as a result of exposure to noise in the company’s workplace.
<b>2. Implement An Industrial Hearing Conservation Programme</b>
Click here to read an introductory article explaining how having an Industrial Hearing Conservation Programme can help your company meet those minimum standards.
<b>Summary</b>
A good way to start working towards meeting the minimum specified requirements for protection of workers from hearing loss or impairment, while in the workplace, is to subject EVERY one of them to audiological testing:
(1) Before s/he resumes duty for the first time and
(2) Annually during his/her tenure of service.
<b>What You Can Do</b>
Look for a Hearing Specialist offering a reliable Industrial Hearing Screening And Conservation service designed to help companies like yours comprehensively address the requirements specified by regulatory bodies. Discuss your needs with him/her.
About the Author
Simeon O. Afolabi is an experienced Clinical Audiologist, who runs BSA Hearing and Speech Centre, providing reliable Hearing and Speech Improvement services to a varied – and growing – range of individual/organisational clientele.
He holds an M.Sc in Audiology and has been in active practice for 14 years (as at 2009).
Earlier in his career, he worked in the National Ear Care Centre, Lagos, and also in the Kaduna Centre – both in Nigeria.
Simeon participated in Nigeria’s National Survey on Hearing Impairment.
Among other roles, he is the National Clinical Director on Healthy Hearing for the Special Olympics.
Through BSA’s Hearing & Speech Centre, Simeon offers Hearing Loss Diagnosis, and fitting of hearing aids, to private individuals and employees/members of organisations.
BSA operates two centres – one based in Lagos, the other in Abuja, Nigeria’s Federal Capital Territory.
In line with his public service vision, BSA offers useful information and education on Hearing and Speech Improvement/Rehabilitation through website articles, and a newsletter – BSA’s Hearing & Speech Centre News.
Visit
http://www.bsahearing.com to learn more about Simeon O. Afolabi and BSA Hearing & Speech Centre.
HEARING PROTECTION REQUIRED – Wynn G Gets 4 18’s to the dome
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