Equipment supplier Arco offers NIHL advice

Supplier of safety products Arco has offered advice for those who are working in noisy workplaces.

It was recently reported by Arco that there had been 19,000 cases of noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) between 2009 and 2012, meaning that more and more people are losing their hearing due to occupational hazards. This is especially the case for those who work in busy industries such as construction, energy, extraction and manufacturing.

According to SHD Logistics, Sally Clayton, hearing product and procurement manager at Arco, said: “While noise induced hearing loss is permanent and irreversible, it is also preventable. It is a gradual process that can take between ten and 20 years to surface and sadly by that time, it is often too late to reverse.”

Ms Clayton went on to argue that workers should try to adopt protective equipment such as ear muffs, ear plugs and high-noise validation solutions. Furthermore, companies and firms should be aware of exposing their staff to high noise levels. This means that noisy periods should be limited to set hours, whilst assembly practices should be moved to other locations. Any other risks can be further reduced by protective ear equipment.

As part of this new advice released, the training sector of Arco will also be working with noise experts Cirrus Research PLC to offer a ‘Noise Assessment and Principles of Application’ training session. The course will last three days and will offer full information and support on NIHL across a variety of fields and industries.

It is vital to protect your ears if you work in a busy environment. As a major health and safety hazard, it may not be long before you need to start wearing hearing aids. Like all aspects of workplace health, such as body posture and carpel tunnel syndrome, hearing loss also needs to be considered by all workers and employers.