Is your worksite too loud?

Construction work can be a demanding job, both on your schedule and your body. In addition to the challenging hours, you may spend your day working with heavy machinery that can be loud and dangerous.

When you damage the inner workings of your ears, it can be a difficult situation to come back from. While you might be able to find devices to support you, your life can change forever.

Here’s what you should keep in mind when you are working on a loud construction site.

Protection is vital

Wearing hearing protection can be a critical step to maintaining your hearing now and in the future. While it can be cumbersome and make communicating with coworkers challenging, ear protection can dramatically reduce the noise at a site.

You should talk to your employer or union representative about the type of ear protection available to you. Your ear protection should bring the overall noise level down to the 85-decibel range. Keep in mind, if your worksite is particularly noisy (as can be the case with jackhammers and nail guns), you may need to wear both earplugs and earmuffs for protection.

Duration matters

Whether you have constant or limited exposure to a loud work environment, it can do significant damage to your hearing. Anytime you are working in a noisy area, you should use hearing protection.

However, you should keep in mind that the longer you are in a loud area, the more damage can be done to the structures within your ear. The damage may also continue after your exposure has stopped.

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