Once gone, hearing does not come back, but workers are becoming more informed about the importance of protecting their hearing, says audiologist Karen Vye.
Vye is the noise induced hearing loss specialist for the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB).
She says damage from large amounts of workplace noise can happen over a long duration of time.
“It’s not like an industrial accident where the injury to an arm or an eye is obvious,” says Vye. “It’s also hard to show the drama of it because it is very gradual. It’s not like an injury to your or your eye. It’s a very insidious form of injury.
“Another reason is the pain from noise happens at a much higher level than from where the actual damage is being done,” she adds.
Job-induced hearing loss has been described as one of the more frequent claims the WSIB receives. Perry Jensen, WSIB senior officer of information, says the WSIB received 1,761 claims for hearing loss in 2001 with 188 still pending.
Hearing loss claims in 2001 resulted in a total expense of $24 million in products and services for the WSIB, he says.
“We handle noise-induced hearing loss cases the same as we do with all other cases,” he says. “The question we ask is whether or not the type of work the person is doing is more likely than not to have caused that person’s hearing loss.”
Noise is measured in decibels. If one is taking a walk in the country, they are likely experiencing only 20 to 50 decibels of noise - pleasant and unobtrusive. Normal conversation takes place around 50 to 70 decibels.
Ranging from 75 to 90 decibels, every day things like household appliances, lawnmowers and personal stereos start to become more obtrusive and damage results to delicate structures in the inner ear where sound is converted to signals that the brain interprets as sound.
The noise from chainsaws, boiler rooms and sandblasting ranges from 100 to 120 decibels. From here, unprotected exposure for more than a minute can result in permanent damage.
The result of this kind of damage starts with the loss of ability to hear higher ranging noises, including children’s laughter and women’s voices. If the exposure continues, lower frequency noises start going until following a conversation in a crowded room becomes extremely difficult.
“This is where the social cost comes in, because they’ve lost those abilities to distinguish from different noises,” says Vye. “Eventually, they start to isolate themselves because it becomes so difficult. It becomes difficult for loved ones too because their spouse doesn’t want to take part in social events, but where’s the enjoyment for them? It just gets to be too stressful.”
Damage can also result in tinnitus or a persistent ringing in the ears. This can range in severity from a mild case that is noticeable only when it is quiet to a ringing that even interferes with one’s ability to sleep.
Vye says conversations with younger workers coming into noisy industries have shown many fully expect to experience hearing loss like those who have gone before. For that reason, the WSIB has developed education programs to teach workers and their employers about the options for hearing protection.
She says employers are urged to supply a variety of ear plugs and ear “muffs” to let them decide which option is best for them. Although the damage done to one’s hearing is permanent, its important for workers to try to maintain what they have.
