Beginning on 5th February, Tinnitus Week is an annual campaign organised by the charity Tinnitus UK. It aims to raise awareness of one of the country’s most common hearing conditions, sharing the experiences of tinnitus sufferers and offering tips for both treatment and prevention.
While the campaign isn’t specifically focused on workplaces, much of its content is relevant to employers. Workplace noise is one of the leading causes of tinnitus, and employers have a legal duty to limit hearing damage as much as possible. Here’s a look at the most common dangers, and the steps you can take to protect your staff.
What is tinnitus?
Tinnitus is the sensation of hearing a sound that has no external source. These sounds can be quiet or loud, intermittent or constant, ranging from mildly annoying to completely debilitating.
Tinnitus is common, affecting over 7 million adults in the UK. It is often the result of prolonged exposure to loud noise, but it can also be a side effect of diabetes, thyroid disorders and autoimmune disease.
Who is most at risk?
An estimated 17,000 UK workers suffer from tinnitus and other hearing conditions as a direct result of workplace noise exposure. This can occur in any industry, but certain employees are particularly vulnerable. A recent study by Boots identified the workers who are most likely to be exposed to dangerously high noise levels. These include:
- Emergency service workers
- Police officers
- Nightclub staff
- Tree surgeons
- Construction workers
- Labourers
- Farmers
- Electricians
- Welders
What can I do to protect my employees?
The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 make it every employer’s duty “to prevent or reduce risks to health and safety from exposure to noise at work”. Within this, the law sets out six specific responsibilities:
1. Carry out a noise risk assessment. This should identify noisy tasks and the employees who perform them. It should also include accurate estimates of decibel levels, and how these might vary from day to day. Sound levels of less than 80db require no action. Exposure above this level is divided into two categories:
- Daily or weekly exposure to 80db and peak noise levels of 135db fall into the lower exposure action category
- Daily or weekly exposure to 85db and peak noise levels of 137db fall into the upper exposure action category
2. Take steps to reduce noise exposure. Once you have identified the risks, you need to come up with ways to mitigate them. If your workplace falls into the upper exposure action category, you must put in place a formal noise reduction plan. This may include:
- Altering tasks to make them less noisy
- Speeding up tasks to limit noise exposure
- Reassigning tasks to reduce individual exposure
- Fitting silencers to machinery
- Isolating vibrating machinery from its surroundings
- Blocking loud noises with barriers or screens
- Moving loud equipment away from quiet areas
3. Provide hearing protection. If noise can’t be reduced to a safe level, you are expected to provide adequate hearing protection for your employees. You need to ensure that this equipment is well maintained and that employees know how to use it correctly. Hearing protection that reduces noise to below 70db is not advisable as this can impede communication.
4. Ensure that legal noise limits aren’t being exceeded. It is illegal for employees to experience regular exposure to sounds above 87db, or one-off exposure to sounds above 140db. If these limits are being exceeded, you must cease work until noise levels can be reduced.
5. Provide adequate training. It’s important for employees to understand their own duties when it comes to preventing hearing damage. You can do this by providing training in the following areas:
- Using and storing protective equipment correctly
- Reporting defects in protective equipment
- Reporting new instances of noise exposure
6. Carrying out health surveillance. You are expected to monitor the hearing of all employees who are regularly exposed to the upper exposure action level of noise. This allows you to spot signs of hearing damage at an early stage, and to make sure that your noise control measures are working. Health surveillance should include:
- Providing regular hearing tests at the hands of a trained professional
- Sharing the results with employees and keeping records of the findings
- Bringing in a doctor as soon as hearing damage is identified
Need help?
Hearing damage is often irreversible, so it’s important to take preventative action. If you have any questions about keeping your employees safe, we’re here to help.
