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prevent hearing loss

4 Reasons for Accident Prevention on Your Jobsite

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accident prevention

Safety is what we do. We work to match companies to safety professionals after getting to know the unique needs of our clients.

In our experience it’s been proven that employing high quality safety professionals is the best accident prevention. Besides the tragic outcome of an injury, illness, or even death, accidents have a huge impact on your business. It is in your best interest to make sure that the people working for you are well-trained and experienced so that an accident doesn’t happen on your watch.

Why? Here’s four reasons. 

  1. Protect life and health. The most obvious reason is that preventing destruction of life and health is our primary concern as safety specialists. This is a moral obligation for the health and well-being of our employees. In fact, we believe that failing to take precautions to predict accidents and occupational injuries or illnesses makes management morally responsible for those accidents. If a potential problem or threat exists, and no action steps are taken to prevent an accident, the outcome will fall on you.
  2. Prevent downtime. The second reason for preventing accidents is because accidents and occupational illnesses limit efficiency and productivity because of downtime. This is an indirect cost from an accident, but a very costly one. Replacement labor can cost your company time and resources, along with possible sick pay, repairing damaged equipment, or even OSHA fines.
  3. Protect your reputation. The third reason for preventing accidents is because accidents and occupational illnesses can produce far-reaching social harm to your reputation. Word gets around when accidents happen and it always paints a negative picture of a company in the public eye. We’ve always said that your clients will only think as much of you as they think of your safety personnel. Sending unprepared employees to a job will hurt your reputation because you will be sending them the wrong message about your company. With the right safety staff, you can send a message that says “We take safety and the lives our employees seriously! We do our best in everything.”
  4. Prevent OSHA violations. The fourth reason for preventing accidents is because state and federal legislation mandates management responsibility to provide a safe workplace, so his is a legal requirement. OSHA violations could cost you thousands of dollars a day. Even the most unintentional violation can cause serious harm to your company.

We believe having well-trained, high quality, experienced safety professionals on a job site is the best way to go for accident prevention. The lives of your employees, your reputation, and your bottom line are all at stake, but they will be in good hands with ResponsAble safety professionals on site. Give us a call at 225-753-1909 to talk with us about your upcoming projects.

Prevent Hearing Loss on Your Job Site

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According to Amerisafe Consulting & Safety Services, the most common workplace injury reported is hearing loss.

When thinking of safety concerns on a safety construction site, hearing damage might not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, an individual exposed to extreme levels of noise can experience permanent hearing loss.

This type of hearing loss is severe to the inner ear and cannot be simply corrected with surgery or hearing aids.

The best way to protect against hearing loss is to prevent it.

  • Measure the job site’s sound intensity. OSHA recommends a workplace with noise levels below 85 decibels (dBA). A noise dosimeter can be used to document the sound exposure over the course of a workday or task.
  • Plan ahead. Employers must do their research on a job site before beginning work to determine if the site needs maintenance to minimize the risk of hearing loss.
  • Limit the hours working at a noisy site. Many construction sites are unavoidably loud. However, there is a difference between the normal job site sound level and a damaging one. The longer a worker is exposed to the harmful noise level, the more damage it causes.
  • Invest in the correct hearing protection. Workers must be equipped with the correct hearing protection for the job they’re performing.
  • Choose the quietest equipment. When it comes to equipment for a job site, ask your employer about purchasing or renting quieter tools and/or equipment.
  • Block the noise. You can help control the noise level by building or purchasing noise barriers.

Hearing loss has lifelong effects. It is worth it take the necessary measures as a worker and as an employer to prevent the possibility of hearing loss on the job.

How Loud Is Too Loud?

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hearingWhen it comes to worker safety, the wearing of proper hearing protection when noise levels are high can diminish the chances of, or eliminate the chance of hearing loss. In the safety industry, this is called hearing conservation…but how loud is too loud?

How Do We Hear?
Sound is collected in our outer ear and then funneled to the eardrum. When these soundwaves hit the eardrum, it vibrates and sends sound to the middle ear. From here, the middle ear amplifies the vibrations and send them to the inner ear. The vibrations stimulate hair cells in the inner ear and create an electrical pulse. This pulse then travels to the brain along the auditory nerve, causing the sensation of sound.

The healthy human ear can hear frequencies ranging from 20 Hz (the lowest note on a Tuba, for example) to 20,000 Hz (so high pitched adults generally lose the ability to hear this high).

Different groups of hair cells are responsible for different frequencies. Over time, if enough of these hairs get damaged, hearing loss will result.

Who Determines ‘Too Loud?’
OSHA has defined what they call the permissible exposure limit for noise. Often referred to as the PEL for noise. It is located in 29 CFR 1910.95.

The permissible exposure limit is 90 decibels averaged over eight hours. Hearing protection is required when noise exceed the PEL.
OSHA’s action level is 85 decibels averaged over eight hours. Hearing conservation training is required with annual audiograms and hearing protection must be made available at this lever.

Let’s put this in perspective for you. A bulldozer that is idling – not actively bulldozing, but just sitting on the side idling – is loud enough at 85 decibels that it can cause permanent hearing damage after only one workday. 8 hours.

Protect Your Hearing
There are many types of safety equipment out there specifically designed to protect your hearing.

  • Ear Muffs
  • Ear Plugs
  • Ear Canal Caps

Each type of device has an NRR, noise reduction rate. The higher the number, the more protection the device. So, make sure your NRR is appropriate for the type of work you are doing and the type of noise you are being exposed to.

Sensory hearing loss, the type caused by excessive noise from equipment or processes, is damage to the inner ear, auditory nerve or the brain. These are not treated medically or surgically. Once that hearing is gone, it is gone.

So prevention is the only cure.