If you have hearing loss, you are not alone. About one in six people experience some degree of loss over the course of their lives. Several factors may lead to it, including:
I was an irrigation contractor for almost 20 years, and I never used hearing protection while spending countless hours on a trencher. Any hearing damage is absolutely irreparable, and I can surely attest to that. Left undiagnosed or untreated, it can damage communications and erode relationships.
Signs and symptoms of hearing loss may include:
Both the level of noise and length of time you are exposed to the noise will put you at risk for noise-induced hearing loss. Noise levels are measured in decibels, dB for short. Sounds that are louder than 85 dB can cause permanent loss.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) states that selecting hearing protection devices need to be appropriate for the environment or environments at hand. Several different types of hearing protectors are required to be offered to employees, depending on the decibel level to which they are exposed. The employer is responsible to pay for the original equipment, as well as replacements.
The employees are required to use the hearing protection, and the employer is responsible for the enforcement. There are many instances of lawsuits related to hearing loss: “The injuries sustained by plaintiffs were entirely preventable and could have been avoided by the use of proper safety procedures. The damages sought are for pain, suffering and medical bills related to hearing loss.”
My wife finally convinced me that I should get my hearing tested, and sure enough, I have significant (and what could have been preventable) hearing loss. At great expense, I got some high tech hearing aids and now I’m hearing sounds that I have not heard in years.