What Jobs Require Hearing Protection?

When it comes to your hearing, you may be unaware of how delicate it is. The issue is that when you realize there is a problem, it is often too late. While anyone of any age can develop a hearing problem, people who do not take care of their ears and wear hearing protection are twice as likely to develop a hearing problem at some point in their lives.

Airport Workers

Anyone who works in baggage handling, plane mechanics, fuelers or any other job that requires a lot of time on the runway is at risk of developing noise-induced hearing loss. Planes are extremely loud; there is no getting around it. Therefore, if you work in an airport and are frequently exposed to planes, you should wear ear protection to protect your hearing. A plane taking off can reach 140 decibels (dB), and if you are within proximity of this constantly, you can put your hearing at risk. For this reason, you will most likely see many airport workers, especially the outdoor ground staff, wearing some form of hearing protection.

Construction Workers

Construction work is notoriously noisy, which is why construction workers should always wear ear protection when working with loud machinery. Many large tools used on construction sites produce decibel (dB) levels far above the recommended 85dB. Hearing protection is not required for everyone or every task, but anyone who uses tools like a jackhammer, which can be nearly as loud as a running plane engine, must always wear it. If you work this vector, then making regular visits to your audiologist can identify any potential issues or levels of hearing loss and work with you to find the right type of protection for your ears to minimize any damage.

Music Venues

Music venues are notoriously loud. After all, that is one of the main attractions of listening to live music to enjoy it at levels you wouldn’t normally in a venue where everyone is as captivated as you. However, working in this environment regularly can really affect your hearing. Look at it this way; normal conversation is around 60-65dB, music venues and live concerts can exceed 90dB and rock concerts being as loud as 105dB. This goes for action movies too in movie theatres, thanks to surrounding sound to enable all cinemagoers to have the best, most immersive experience. But for workers, the loud sounds can be detrimental to their hearing and the use of hearing protection is vital.

Factory Employees

If you work in a factory with loud machinery, you must always wear ear protection; our employer probably already requires it. But, of course, ear protection will not be required throughout the factory, only in the areas where it is quite loud. As a result, anyone working in the administrative or packaging departments would not need to wear hearing protection; only those working in the actual manufacturing parts would require this type of protection. As we get older, it is only natural that we will experience some level of hearing loss; however, wearing hearing protection can aid you in preserving your hearing for as long as possible. If you are concerned about your hearing levels, you should consult your audiologist, who can discuss the best hearing protection to use and the best options for you to help regain your hearing levels.