How to Protect Your Ears at Work

Hearing loss resulting from exposure to loud noise at work is a hazard of many occupations, including construction, factory work and professional music performance and teaching. If your job is one that creates a high risk of hearing loss, it's very important that you take steps to protect your hearing. With awareness, vigilance and good ear protection products, you can work a long career in your chosen field with minimal risk to your ears.

Instructions

• 1

  Adhere to all hearing safety precautions at your place of work. Obey all hearing-related safety training, read your employee handbook and any instructions posted on walls and know where ear protection is kept. If your place of employment doesn't have protocol for ear protection and is resistant to your taking measures to protect your hearing, contact OSHA (see Resources).

• 2

  Watch out for risks and be aware. If your job involves noise risks that are only intermittent, communicate with your co-workers about times when loud sounds will be occurring so you can move away or wear ear protection. Be aware of your proximity to noise producing objects and your habits, particularly if you tend to stand close to or use a tool or instrument in a way that it's closer to one ear or another.

• 3

  Wear earplugs. Bear in mind that there are many kinds of ear protection to choose from, so shop around until you find something that's convenient and comfortable. Options include foam plugs, rubber plugs, sculptable silicone putty plugs, over-the-ear covers (resembling headphones) and custom-made musicians earplugs which will allow the wearer to hear more while having his ears protected (these earplugs are more expensive and require a prescription, but this cost can be tax-deductible since the plugs are for work).

• 4

  Resist trying to be tough. While some people may associate efforts to protect hearing with weakness or a lack of tolerance for discomfort, this idea is foolish. Regardless of strength, loud noises can result in irreversible hearing loss in all humans, whether or not one experiences discomfort or is able to tolerate it.

• 5

  Discuss the acoustics of your workplace with your employer. Is it possible that minor changes could be made to the place where you work that would create better acoustic absorption and reduce the amount of noise present? For example, many music classrooms can be made dramatically less noisy simply with the addition of carpeting, cloth wall hangings or padded chairs.