You probably don’t think about hearing loss as it pertains to various occupations, but the truth is, even the most rewarding and fulfilling jobs can pose a significant threat to hearing. Chances are great that you take much satisfaction from your job, whether you try lawsuits for a living or manufacture cars. Take a look at these loud workplace environments to see why they’re so dangerous to the ears and what can be done about that. Loud machines and crowd noise often come together to create a risk for hearing damage. Take precautions to protect your precious ears.
Farming
While agriculture is a critical industry to the operation of this country when it comes to fresh foods and other crops, it’s not easy on the ears – for farmers anyway. Agriculture, the source of many necessary services, indeed draws a lot of gratification from farmers knowing the good they’re contributing to. But the negative side of that is the opportunity for hearing damage thanks to the many machines and trucks they operate each day.
General Construction
Many noises are typical of any construction site, such as hammers, saws and trucks, but these can incur hearing loss for the contractors that have to listen to these noises and more on the job each day. Hearing protection is a must if contractors want to avoid risking long-term hearing loss.
Military
Many individuals suffer from hearing damage within the military, where, at any time of the day or night, there could be explosions going off, as well as noises from weapons training, artillery drills and tanks. This all works to make military bases, aircraft carriers and war zones top examples of noisy workplaces that incur significant hearing loss.
Airport Ground Workers
Directing planes on which way to go safely is a big responsibility for runway workers. Also a big part of the job? The risk for hearing loss, which is why you see these individuals donning protective ear gear along with their lighted batons. Noise dampening head phones are essential to avoid the potential for hearing loss because the planes create double the accepted decibel level of 85.
Nightclub Worker
If you think nightclub workers have just as much fun as you do on weekends, think again. Club personnel are subjected to the same loud noises that guests are, such as the bass of the music and screaming of the crowd, but they don’t have the luxury of escaping the real danger here: hearing loss due to persistent exposure. Employees at a high risk of damage include DJs, bartenders, security personnel and servers.
Mining
The physically intensive work of miners in caves and under the ground serves to validate the valuable services they are providing the world in the form of fuel and raw materials. But this doesn’t mean they don’t incur a negative side effect to the job. They are at one of the highest risks of hearing damage because not only do they operate loud machines, but they do it in a confined space, which further compounds the risk.
