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Hearing Protection


News & Articles

  • NIOSH, OSHA Release Guidance on Ototoxicity

    Some ototoxic chemicals may exacerbate noise-induced hearing loss even though the noise level is below OSHA’s PEL, the document warns.

  • NIOSH Study Shows Association Between Noise Exposure and Heart Disease Risk Factors

    "Reducing workplace noise levels is critical not just for hearing loss prevention – it may also impact blood pressure and cholesterol," said NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard, M.D. "Work site health and wellness programs that include screenings for high blood pressure and cholesterol should also target noise-exposed workers."

  • Hearing and Public Health Center Launched by Bloomberg School

    "We are just now beginning to understand the impact that hearing loss can have on the lives of older adults," said Dr. Frank Lin, who heads the new center. "Amazingly, there is a dearth of public health research that examines this area and that is geared towards developing solutions and policies needed to mitigate these effects."

  • New NIOSH/OSHA Guidance on Ototoxicity Posted

    "There is growing concern among occupational health and safety professionals that ototoxicant-induced hearing loss may go unrecognized since the measure for hearing loss does not indicate the cause," the document states. "For example, audiometric tests are powerful tools that show hearing impairments (i.e., threshold shifts); however, they do not differentiate between noise and ototoxic causes."

  • Safe Sounding Workplaces

    Using sound mapping software rather than measurements means you can predict future noise levels and take pre-emptive steps to control the noise.

  • NIOSH Study Highlights Hearing Loss Among Ag, Forestry, Fishing Workers

    When researchers examined the industries, they found as many as 36 percent of noise-exposed workers have hearing loss. They also found workers in the aquaculture and logging industries to be at higher risk for hearing loss. This group remains one of the industrial sectors with the highest hearing loss risk.


Whitepapers

  • Providing the Best PPE Is No Guarantee: A Guide to Addressing Human Factors in your PPE Program

    Even the best PPE only works when worn—so how do you get workers to actually wear PPE all the time? PPE compliance is greatly influenced by a person’s state of mind, and being in a rush, frustrated, tired or complacent with hazards affects decisions around PPE compliance in critical moments. This paper addresses how to deal with human factors in your safety program to reduce injuries and improve PPE use among employees.

  • Combating Common Objections to Hearing Protection Wear

    Keeping workers properly protected from hazardous noise and motivated to wear their hearing protectors is a challenge for any safety manager. With proper training and ongoing encouragement, most workers do wear their earplugs or earmuffs on the job. However, there are always a few workers who feel compelled to raise objections instead of just donning their hearing protectors and getting on with the job.

  • Inside the EPA Proposed Change to the Noise Reduction Rating

    In anticipation of the EPA's expected change to the Noise Reduction Rating (NRR), Howard Leight has issued a brochure that explains known details of the proposed changes for hearing protectors. Titled, "Inside the EPA's Proposed Change to the Noise Reduction Rating," the brochure is designed as a handy information resource for safety managers, providing background on the impending new rating system and the ANSI testing protocols on which it is expected to be based.


Videos

  • Multilingual Hearing Instructions

    One of the challenges of occupational health testing today is language barriers — two out of every 25 people in the U.S. are not proficient in English. Benson Medical responds to this challenge by providing audio instructions and printable reports in 21 different languages for both hearing and pulmonary function testing.

  • Peltor Earmuffs X Series: Listen to the Future

    3M™ Peltor™ X Series Earmuffs protect workers in a variety of harsh enviroments with the most advanced technology on the market. Listen to the future. Protect your hearing today.

  • Buy Quiet Construction Video

    This 2014 NIOSH video provides an overview of Buy Quiet initiatives and resources to construction company owners, employees, subcontractors, purchasers and suppliers of power tools and equipment, and to the general community. Buy Quiet addresses the vision of eliminating noise hazards early in the life cycle of power tools and equipment, thus reducing the risk of occupational hearing loss among operators and nearby workers. Companies are encouraged to implement Buy Quiet within their organization as any company whose workers are subjected to hazardous noise exposures can benefit from Buy Quiet initiatives. Visit http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/buyquiet for more information.