Chicago Workers' Compensation Attorney Blog

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is looking for help on how to prevent hearing loss in the workplace. Their recent press release announced the meeting will take place at the Frances Perkins Building in Washington, D.C., from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Nov. 3.

Our Chicago workers' compensation lawyers know that about 30 million people in the U.S. have jobs working in extreme noise levels, and tens of thousands of them suffer from preventable hearing loss. There are a number of things that your employer can do to protect you from loss of hearing. You may want to consult with an experienced injury lawyer to learn how to protect your rights at work.

Earlier this year we posted to our Chicago Workers' Compensation Attorney Blog regarding OSHA backing out of its proposal to clarify the term "feasible administrative or engineering controls" related to OSHA's noise standard. The reason OSHA stopped work on the proposal was to start work on a plan to prevent occupational hearing loss. Part of this plan was to have a meeting with noise-control experts, workers, employers and public health professionals to get their opinions on the subject. At this meeting issues to be discussed include:

-Best practices for hearing conservation programs.

-Concerns with using personal protective equipment for noise control.

-Best practices for using feasible engineering controls.

-What companies have effective noise control programs and what elements make them successful.

The damaging effects of exposure to dangerous noise levels are cumulative and usually don't appear for many years. Becoming desensitized to a noisy workplace is very common. So workers don't worry about it and don't take steps necessary to protect themselves from its potential life-changing effects. Research is clear that prolonged exposure to excessive noise can lead to irreversible hearing loss. This isn't the only medical concern. A study of rock 'n roll performers found a number of noise-related disorders such as severe tension headaches, mild psychiatric disorders, constricted blood vessels and damage to the nervous system.

Here are a few steps for effective noise management in the workplace:

-Listen to your workers, take their noise complaints seriously.

-Perform your own decibel audit and take action on the results.

-Follow-up on all OSHA recommendations as they relate to excessive noise levels.

-Train your workers about the potential dangers of excessive noise.

-Make hearing tests part of employees' physical exams.

-If possible rotate workers who are in noisy areas.

-When possible shut down noisy equipment and machinery for short periods of time to give workers some relief.

-Rearrange offices and work areas so they are far away from excessive noise.

-Install noise-reduction devices as needed.

-Replace or upgrade old equipment with quieter, newer models.