We remind members of the serious importance of hearing testing.
Hearing hazards in the workplace may not be obvious to everyone, but the damage can be permanent and life changing.
Background
The Canada Labour Code and seven of the provinces and territories’ labour legislations mandate employers to do audiometric tests in workplaces and provide a hearing conservation program when the exposure limit is exceeded over an eight-hour shift. You can learn more about the specific requirements for the jurisdiction in which you work from the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety.
In general, employers should provide a hearing loss prevention program — including annual hearing testing — wherever workers are exposed to more than 85 dB, averaged over an eight-hour shift. Provincially-regulated employers in Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Yukon don’t have a specific threshold, but they are still required, as due diligence, to work with your health and safety committee to determine whether a hearing conservation program is needed.
How Noisy is Noisy?
An example of 85 dB might be a passing diesel truck or a noisy hotel lobby. A jet engine will produce about 140 dB at takeoff. Remember also that an increase in sound intensity and a noticeable increase in what your ears detect can be different. We don’t begin to experience sound as painful until about 125 dB.
A hearing conservation program has several elements. These often include that hazards must be identified and communicated (signs, education, and training), exposure monitored, records kept, and hearing protection devices provided as well as the annual testing.
For Your Protection
Unions have fought for the protections that are available to you — use them! If your workplace is noisy, work with your local to get your employer to provide hearing testing. If your employer is providing hearing testing as part of a hearing conservation program, it’s for good reason — take it every year. When it comes to your hearing, small changes can accumulate and become debilitating in the long term. If you don’t stay aware of it, you may not notice the damage until it’s too late.
