Clay Hutson explains why ear protection is pivotal on the jobsite

1. THE IMPORTANCE
OF WEARING EAR
PROTECTION
C L A Y H U T S O N

2. Permanent hearing loss can be
a devastating consequence of
prolonged exposure to loud
noise. A loud job site can also
cause a decrease in
productivity and lead to more
workplace accidents since a
lot of background noise can
make it more difficult to hear
those around you.

3. A one-time event, such as a very loud
explosion, can cause damage to your
hearing pretty quickly, but other types of
noise can cause your hearing to diminish
more slowly. Damage to your ear can occur
at relatively low noise levels, such as
that of a running lawnmower, if the
exposure time is more than 8 hours.
How Does Hearing
Loss Occur?

4. Hearing loss happens after the cilia, which are tiny hair cells
within the inner ear, become damaged. Typically, cilia that hear
higher frequency noised are damaged first, followed by the rest
of the ear.

5. ARE THE NOISES I'M EXPOSED TO
CAUSING HEARING DAMAGE?

6. Sound is measured in the
form of decibels, and dBA is
used to measure sound
intensity. According to OSHA,
the recommended dBA in a
workplace should be below
85 for an 8 hour time period.

7. How Can I Protect
My Ears?

8. Ear protection, such as earmuffs or earplugs, can
greatly reduce your exposure to loud noises that cause
ear damage.

9. You should make plans to protect
yourself before hazardous, noisy jobs
begin. Your employer can also take
preventative measures by buying sound
barriers and scheduling noisy work for
times when fewer people are around.
Make sure you're aware of when loud
noises will be occurring on the job and
make plans to take preventative
measures and wear protective ear
coverings if you can't avoid the work area
or have to work with loud equipment.

10. Sometimes, loud noise is unavoidable while on the
job. If you know you're going to be exposed to noise,
don't forget to wear proper ear protection to
prevent future hearing loss.