Construction Noise and Your Hearing Health: Safety Tips for Construction Workers
Zarina Naizam, AuD, CCC-A · Published
How loud is too loud?
Noise exposure is easy to overlook until you notice ringing ears after a concert or sporting event. Ringing can follow loud-noise exposure, but it does not by itself establish the extent or permanence of hearing damage. Persistent symptoms warrant professional assessment.
Workplace noise exposure can damage hearing over time. Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) can follow a single intense sound or repeated exposure to loud noise; the level, duration and distance from the sound all matter.
How Is Noise Measured?
Sound levels are measured in decibels. NIDCD explains that sounds at or below 70 A-weighted decibels (dBA) are unlikely to cause hearing loss, even with long exposure. Repeated or prolonged exposure at or above 85 dBA can cause hearing loss; louder sounds can cause harm sooner.
Construction tools can generate hazardous noise. Actual levels vary with the equipment, task and distance; your employer’s noise assessment should guide the controls and hearing protection used on site.
For construction workers, ear protection is crucial to maintaining healthy and happy hearing.
Custom Hearing Protection for Construction Workers
The best treatment for hearing loss is prevention. If you’re reading this and you work in a busy construction site, maybe you’re considering if custom hearing protection would help you stay safe at work and keep you hearing better for longer.
There are multiple over-the-counter earplug options out there that can provide some protection, but one of the virtues of custom hearing protection is that we take a mold of your ear canal so your earplugs are unique to you; a custom shape can help fit, but protection must be selected for your exposure and checked with fit testing.
Sound, communication and comfort depend on the protector and how it fits. Work with your employer’s hearing-conservation program to select and fit-test appropriate protection; custom plugs do not guarantee clear communication or adequate noise reduction for every job.
If you work in construction, it’s important to track your hearing health and protect it from noise-induced hearing loss with specially made protective gear like custom hearing protection.
How ZN Audiology Can Help
We’re here to help when it comes to providing custom hearing protection solutions to the Brooklyn area. Use protection alongside your employer’s measures to reduce workplace noise; no earplug removes every risk.
If you believe that you have some level of hearing loss due to noise exposure, come see us for a hearing check-up; even just one hearing test can help you understand your current range of hearing and make moves to protect it for your future.
For questions about hearing care, or to share concerns about your unique situation, please find your closest clinic and call us in Brooklyn: (347) 658-1264 or Forest Hills: (718) 255-1113.
For selection and fit-testing guidance, see NIOSH hearing protection.
Originally published on the date shown above. For current device options, fees or insurance coverage, please contact the clinic. Clinical review by the practice is pending; see our editorial policy.
