1/05 Hearing Hazards

2 Notice  This presentation is provided to all Educational Service District 101 (ESD 101) schools at no cost.  This presentation contains copyrighted materials purchased by ESD 101 for the exclusive use of training school personnel within ESD 101.  This presentation may not be reproduced except to print “handouts” or “notes pages” for use during training within ESD 101 school districts.  If the school district does not have Microsoft’s PowerPoint software available, a PowerPoint viewer can be downloaded from the internet at no cost.  Questions may be directed to the ESD 101 Risk Manager.

3 Effects of noise  Causes hearing loss  Amount of damage depends upon the intensity of the noise and duration of exposure  Noise-induced hearing loss can be temporary or permanent

4 Effects of noise  Prolonged exposure generally causes permanent damage  Noise-induced permanent threshold shift is not reversible/cannot be medically treated

5 Effects of noise  Noise-induced hearing loss typically starts with hearing threshold shifts in the higher frequencies  The type of hearing loss can be identified and measured with audiometric examination

6 Noise hazards  Noise is unwanted/unpleasant sound that may have a negative effect depending on: loudness/frequency duration of exposure how old/healthy person is

7 Noise hazards  Sound is measured by: frequency intensity

8 Noise hazards  Noise types include: wide band narrow band impulse

9 Noise hazards  Hearing protection must be provided when noise exceeds an eight-hour time-weighted average of 85db

10 Noise hazards can cause:  Drowsiness and irritability  Inability to hear important instructions  High blood pressure, ulcers, headaches

11 Noise hazards can cause:  Sleeping disorders  Temporary or permanent hearing loss

12 Engineering controls  Isolate noisy machinery in a separate area  Place machinery on rubber mountings  Use sound-absorbing acoustical tiles

13 Engineering controls  Arrange work schedules to reduce employee exposure to noise  Inform supervisors of unpleasant/unacceptable noise levels

14 Hearing protection  Factors taken into account when selecting hearing protection devices include: noise hazards noise frequencies fit and comfort noise reduction rating

15 Purpose/procedure for audiometric testing  Checks a person’s hearing  Trained technician uses an audiometer to send sounds through headphones

16 Purpose/procedure for audiometric testing  Person being tested responds to the sounds when they are first heard  Chart records responses

17 Hearing protection makes common sense  You are ultimately responsible for your own hearing  You have the most to lose if you suffer hearing loss  Make sure earplugs fit properly

18 Hearing protection makes common sense  Have an annual hearing test  Keep hearing protection devices in good operation

19 Hearing protection makes common sense  Don’t use homemade hearing protection devices  Wear hearing protection devices at work as required