A new study reinforces the importance of using work practices to protect your crew members from excessive noise levels.
Researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) analyzed audiograms taken over a 10-year time frame for 1.3 million U.S. workers employed by nearly 12,000 companies. They found that 23% of construction staff members have hearing loss that’s significant enough to affect their daily lives.
The CDC study also found that the use of hearing protection is low in the construction industry, with 52% of construction employees exposed to high noise levels reporting that they don’t use safety gear to protect their hearing.
The CDC researchers recommended several work practices to safeguard employees from high noise levels, including:
• performing loud activities when fewer staffers are present
• increasing the distance between noisy jobs and crew members not needed for that task
• allowing longer breaks between noise exposures
• limiting the amount of time crew members can operate loud machinery(From the Jan. 13, 2025, issue of Safety Alert for Supervisors. To start your no-obligation trial subscription to the publication right now, please click here.)