Category: Hearing Loss
Safe-in-Sound Award Celebrates 10 Years and New Partner
In 2008, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA) created the Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Award™ to recognize organizations that document measurable achievements in hearing loss prevention. Over the past 10 years we have given out 10 Excellence Awards and 13 Innovation Awards. In Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsOtotoxicant Chemicals and Workplace Hearing Loss
Since the 19th century, many therapeutic drugs have been known to affect hearing. Known as ototoxic drugs, many are used today in clinical situations despite these negative side effects because they are effective in treating serious, sometimes life-threatening conditions. Research has shown that exposure to certain chemicals in the workplace may also negatively affect Read More >
Posted on by 11 CommentsNational Protect Your Hearing Month – Time to Fill the “Know-Do” Gap
When it comes to health, a large gap often exists between what we know (for example, we know that eating too much sugar is bad for our health) and what we still do. Hearing loss prevention is no exception. We have been aware of the harmful effects of overexposure to noise for over a century. Read More >
Posted on by 11 CommentsMay is Better Hearing and Speech Month: For 45 Years NIOSH Helps Prevent Occupational Hearing Loss
Back in 1927, when an organization then known as the American Society for the Study of Disorders of Speech* first promoted May as “Better Hearing and Speech Month,” very little was known about occupational noise-induced hearing loss. But for more than 45 years, NIOSH has been researching ways to prevent it. Occupational hearing loss Read More >
Posted on by 2 CommentsNoise Exposure Among Federal Wildland Fire Fighters
Hearing loss is one of the most common work-related illnesses in the United States. NIOSH estimates that 22 million U.S. workers encounter noise exposures loud enough to be hazardous. Wildland fire fighting (vs. urban/ structural fire fighting), aims to suppress grass, brush, or forest fires (see Figure 1). Wildland fire fighting is considered a high-risk Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentIntroducing the Hearing Loss Prevention Program evaluation checklist
Noise-induced hearing loss continues to be one of the most common occupational disorders, even in workplaces where workers are protected by hearing loss prevention programs (HLPPs). Although standards and regulations vary by country, virtually all hearing loss prevention programs require several elements: the measurement of noise exposures; the implementation of noise controls to reduce noise Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentHit the Mark: Firearms training without damaging your hearing
Today on World Hearing Day we would like to highlight the pioneering efforts of Florida’s Alachua County Deputy Sheriff, Ryan Lee Scott, who is the winner of the 2017 Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Award™ . Background According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, more than 1.2 million Federal, State, and local law enforcement Read More >
Posted on byNew NIOSH Sound Level Meter App
Imagine if workers around the world could collect and share workplace (or task-based) noise exposure data using their smartphones. Scientists and occupational safety and health professionals could rely on such shared data to build job exposure databases and promote better hearing health and prevention efforts. In addition, the ability to acquire and display real-time noise Read More >
Posted on by 167 CommentsHear and Now Noise Safety Challenge Winners: Part 3 of 3
Every year 22 million workers are at risk of losing their hearing from workplace noise hazards. Work-related hearing loss is a widespread problem, but it is a problem that can be solved. On August 1, 2016, NIOSH, OSHA, and MSHA issued a challenge to inventors and entrepreneurs with the dual goals of inspiring creative ideas Read More >
Posted on by 5 CommentsHear and Now Noise Safety Challenge Winners: Part 2 of 3
Every year 22 million workers are at risk of losing their hearing from workplace noise hazards. Work-related hearing loss is a widespread problem, but it is a problem that can be solved. On August 1, 2016, NIOSH, OSHA, and MSHA issued a challenge to inventors and entrepreneurs with the dual goals of inspiring creative ideas Read More >
Posted on by 1 CommentHear and Now Noise Safety Challenge Winners: Part 1 of 3
Every year 22 million workers are at risk of losing their hearing from workplace noise hazards. Work-related hearing loss is a widespread problem, but it is a problem that can be solved. On August 1, 2016, NIOSH, OSHA, and MSHA issued a challenge to inventors and entrepreneurs with the dual goals of inspiring creative ideas Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsHear and Now: The Noise Safety Challenge
The Burden of Noise The idea of being hurt on the job tends to produce images of harrowing trauma, broken bones, and blood. Yet every year for more than a quarter of a century, hearing loss has quietly been among the most prevalent occupational health concerns in the United States. Approximately 22 million U.S. workers Read More >
Posted on by 6 CommentsMeasuring the Impact of Hearing Loss on Quality of Life
Hearing loss is common in the United States. More people have hearing loss than diabetes, cancer or vision trouble. Occupational hearing loss, which is caused by exposure at work to loud noise or chemicals that damage hearing, is the most common work-related illness. It is also permanent. Read More >
Posted on by 29 CommentsUnderstanding Noise Exposure Limits: Occupational vs. General Environmental Noise
Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is 100% preventable; however, once acquired, it is permanent and irreversible [NIOSH 1998]. Understanding and minimizing the risks associated with noise exposures are the keys to preventing noise-related hearing loss. NIOSH has a long history of leadership in conducting research, advancing control measures, and recommending noise-exposure limits to prevent job-related hearing Read More >
Posted on by 50 CommentsTurn it Down: Reducing the Risk of Hearing Disorders Among Musicians
Have you ever gone to a concert or performance and found your ears ringing on the way home? Imagine if that was your job and your ears were exposed regularly to such loud sound levels? Orchestra players, music teachers, conductors, DJ’s, band members, singers, sound engineers, and many others may be exposed to dangerously high Read More >
Posted on by 16 CommentsA Story of Impact….
It starts with an agency wanting to better protect its workers from hearing loss. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is a non-regulatory federal agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce that conducts measurement research, develops technological standards and performs other important functions. NIST was upgrading the hearing conservation program for its Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsCollecting Data on Worker Hearing Loss: Epidemiology in Action
Epidemiology is the art and science of using data to answer questions about the health of groups. In occupational epidemiology, we use that data to understand how work affects health. This blog entry is part of a series that shares the stories behind the data. Hearing loss is one of the most common chronic health conditions Read More >
Posted on by 8 CommentsFirst, Do No Harm: Temporary Threshold Shift Screening Is Not Worth the Risk
Recently, a study by Dr. Hanns Moshammer and colleagues on “The Early Prognosis of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss” garnered national media attention.[1] Their research, published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine, [2] recommended routine implementation of a temporary threshold shift (TTS) screening test to identify workers particularly at risk of developing noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) from Read More >
Posted on by 9 CommentsBuy Quiet Update
Several years ago NIOSH started the planning process for a “buy quiet” initiative to encourage companies to purchase or rent quieter machinery and tools to reduce worker noise exposure. This initiative also aimed to provide information on equipment noise levels and promote manufacturers to design quieter equipment. NIOSH is now pleased to announce the official Read More >
Posted on by 12 CommentsSo How Accurate Are These Smartphone Sound Measurement Apps?
NIOSH has released a free smartphone sound measurement app for iOS devices. For more info and to download the app, see the NIOSH sound level meter app page . Please share your comments on the related NIOSH science blog post. As of June 2013, 60% of all mobile subscribers use smartphones—that’s more than 140 million devices. Read More >
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