Clamping down on noise-induced hearing loss

Just 50 minutes spent in the cab of a quarry dumptruck without protection is enough to cause permanent hearing damage. Just five minutes in a cement plant without effective protection would expose you to more noise than you are supposed to absorb in an entire day.

With noise levels like these it is no wonder that there is an epidemic of occupational deafness amongst operatives in the quarrying and construction sectors. This is not hyperbole: high-quality academic studies suggest that 1 in 4 workers in noise has a material hearing impairment, and nearly 1 in 10 has tinnitus.

And hazardous noise isn’t just bad for operatives’ hearing - it attacks the cardiovascular system and puts them at much higher risk of developing dementia. And yet hearing protection wear rates are in the region of just 20-30%. Something has got to change.

In his ‘Tackling the epidemic of noise-induced hearing loss in the quarrying and construction industry’ presentation paper, Dr David Greenberg, CEO and founder of Eave, will outline the scale of the problem and the health impacts of hazardous noise, look at the root causes of the hearing loss epidemic and, most importantly of all, explain what quarrying and construction companies need to do to get to grips with the problem and protect their staff.

For more information about the Industry Spotlight stream click here.