Hearing Company

Hazardous noise can destroy the ability to hear clearly and can also make it more difficult to hear sounds necessary for working safely, such as instructions or warning signals.

Managing the risks related to noise exposure will assist in:

• Protecting workers from hearing loss and disabling tinnitus (ringing in the ears or head)
• Improving the conditions for communication and hearing warning sounds
• Creating a less stressful and more productive work environment

In 2008 the Australian Government proposed that all work health and safety laws including Regulations, Codes of Practice and guidance material be “harmonised” across Australia. Up to this point there were many differences in regulatory requirements in each state, which added significant complexity and cost for employers operating business over different state.

The aim of harmonisation of these laws is to improve simplicity, efficiency and productivity for business operating nationally and to better facilitate employment in an increasingly mobile labour market.

Safe Work Australia is an independent statutory body with the primary function of progressing the model work health and safety laws in partnership with state and territory governments, employers and workers. Some jurisdictions adopted the new laws on schedule on 1 January 2012 (Queensland, NSW, ACT, Northern Territory and the Commonwealth) while for remaining states the implementation is a “work in progress”.

To assist employers to comply with the new laws, Safe Work Australia has released 11 model Codes of Practice; essentially best practice documents designed to assist employers to manage and minimise the major areas of health and safety risks to employees. In Australia, like many countries, exposure to loud noise is a significant cause of permanent hearing loss to workers and consequently Safe Work Australia has developed the Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss Code of Practice

“Common painkillers ‘increase the risk of hearing loss’”, reported The Daily Telegraph.
This story is based on research on whether frequent use of aspirin, ibuprofen, and paracetamol increase the risk of hearing loss in men.

It found that men who took any of these drugs more than twice a week had a small increased risk of hearing loss. This type of study can only find associations, and it does not prove that the painkillers caused the hearing loss in these men.

It also did not assess why the men were taking painkillers, and it is possible that the cause of their underlying pain may have had an effect on their hearing. Read more

In order to investigate possible hearing loss as a consequence of aviation noise, a comparative analysis of audiometric data from Norwegian Air Traffic Control (ATC) personnel, airline (fixed-wing) pilots, and helicopter pilots was performed. Read more

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