Why should I be concerned about NIHL?
Noise-induced hearing loss is the most common permanent and preventable occupational injury in the world. NIHL is 100% permanent. But it’s also 100% preventable.

Doesn’t the ear naturally adjust to varying noise levels?
Damage to the eardrum is permanent. The ear never “gets used to” noise. It’s not like a bone that can heal if it breaks, or skin that can heal after a wound. Unlike the pupil of the eye, which can dilate to shut out excessive light, the sensitive cilia (fine, delicate hairs) in the eardrum can’t protect itself and will not recover from damage.

If a noise level doesn’t hurt my ears was it dangerously loud?
Hearing loss typically occurs at repeated, unprotected exposures above 85 dB (about as loud as a handsaw or a forklift), but most people don’t feel pain in their ears until noise levels reach 120 dB—the noise level of a jet engine. After hearing loss, the most common indication of noise damage is ringing in the ears (called “tinnitus”). If you experience this regularly after work or leisure activities, you should look into your hearing protection devices and consult with a medical specialist.

How do I know if I have noise-induced hearing loss?
The telltale sign of NIHL is speech sounding distorted and less clear—but not necessarily softer. You can still hear people talking to you, but it’s harder to make out all the exact words. The most sensitive part of the eardrum is the region that detects high-frequency sounds. So whether hazardous noise is low-frequency (a foghorn) or high-frequency (static), a high-frequency hearing loss—where speech occurs—is the result.

Is it OK to take out my earplugs for just a few minutes while I’m working?
Removing an earplug for just a few minutes in an area where hearing protection is mandated during the workday will negatively affect overall protection effectiveness, raising your NIHL risk dramatically.

Removing a 30 NRR earplug for only five minutes reduces effective protection to only 26 dB. Removing the earplug for 30 minutes and the effective protection drops to 18 dB during an eight-hour shift. This seemingly small act can turn adequate protection into increased NIHL risk.

Did you know? 30 minutes not wearing your hearing protection can cut your protection by 50%.

Which is better—earplugs or earmuffs?
Foam earplugs offer more protection from noise than earmuffs—when they’re properly fit in the ear canal.

It’s more about correct use than style: A poorly-fit foam earplug offers little or no protection from noise.

Did you know? The only method of determining the effectiveness of the use of hearing protection devices is to periodically monitor the hearing of the exposed individuals (CSA Z94).

Is there a way to assess noise risk without a dosimeter?
If you can’t be heard from an arm’s length away, you should be wearing hearing protection.

If you don’t have scientific tools to give you an accurate picture of your noise level risk, you can get an “unofficial,” ballpark idea as to your risk of NIHL. Just stand at arm’s length from the person you’re speaking to; if you have to raise your voice to be heard, the noise in your area is potentially at a hazardous level.

How many Boilermakers experience NIHL?
While less than 10% of general population is hearing impaired, it is estimated that approximately 50% of Boilermakers and other heavy industrial trades, have NIHL.

Did you know? NIHL is not a new problem. Back in 1882, an American researcher named Holt did the first reported study on deafness among Boilermakers and coined the term “Boilermaker’s Ears”.

Why should I wear hearing protection when I’m off the clock?
Workplace noise isn’t any more or less harmful than any other type of noise. It’s exactly the same.

Hazardous noise occurs both on the job and off. You are exposed to dangerous noise levels in many areas of your life, whether at a music concert, a racetrack, using a belt sander or just mowing the lawn. All hazardous noise, wherever you are exposed to it, forms part of an overall cumulative risk that can damage your hearing—even if you follow every hearing protection rule at work.