Communication mishaps often occur between colleagues even at the best of times. A poorly written email here, an inadequate explanation there. But what if the problem stems from one person simply not hearing the other person’s words properly? This happens more than you think, and it has some lasting consequences as we will see in this article.
If someone has a medical problem, most people believe that sooner or later the sufferer will identify the problem and take the necessary steps to fix it. But the reality is often not so easy for those who develop hearing loss. The most well-known adage is that people often wait up to ten years before seeking help for their hearing loss. Did you know that there might also be a problem with the way we measure hearing loss?
Our current standards for identifying hearing loss in the workplace are not stringent enough, that’s according to a paper by Elizabeth Masterson published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
The research analyzed two types of standards for measuring hearing loss through analysis of worker audiograms over a 9-year timeline. It found that the less stringent standard of measurement called the Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard threshold shifts (OSTS) identified 66-74% fewer workers than the newer and more stringent National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health significant threshold shifts (NSTS) criteria.
“As our knowledge improves, the regulations that protect worker hearing should also be updated based on the best information available.” argues Masterson, who says that NSTS regulations (although 15 years old) would be an improvement to the current regulations.
We should therefore use the latter standards to assess hearing loss in the workplace as they would lead to better prevention. Early identification is the key to mitigating the worst effects of hearing loss. Once people get it, it is often irreversible.
How hearing loss can affect your job
We’ve learnt that the regulations need to be made more stringent, but why is it so important to prevent, identify and manage hearing loss at work? Aside from the social costs of hearing loss, there are a myriad of repercussions that it can lead to in the workplace.
- Lower productivity
Did your boss want to meet you at 7am or 11am? What on earth did Andy from sales whisper to you at the meeting this morning? Sometimes employees can get simple things wrong which can lead to a loss in productivity. Most occupations involve working closely in small teams where face-to-face interactions count more than emails. As such, when one person doesn’t receive the right information, the performance of the team can be reduced.
- Higher risk of accidents
The more severe your hearing loss, the more likely it is that you are going to have an accident at work. This increases significantly if you already work in a noisy environment, and the fallout could be even more serious. What if, for example, you miss a crucial piece of safety information while working on a building site? Poor hearing can also mask the sound of moving hazards like the reversing sounds on a truck. As your brain works harder to distinguish sounds, the cognitive work involved also leaves you more vulnerable to mistakes at work.
More generally, the link between accidents and hearing loss was also identified by Dr Neil Bhattacharyya, an otolaryngologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. Looking at survey data from the U.S. National Health Interview Survey, He discovered that one in six people who had an accident also judged their hearing to be “less than excellent or good.”
- Loss in earnings
Hearing loss can also affect your overall earnings. According to a recent study, the more severe your hearing loss, the more you stand to lose in, compared with someone of normal hearing. The difference in salary between someone with severe hearing loss and someone with no hearing loss was a staggering $30,000!
There are many ways to protect your hearing, and some protection might even be government mandated. OSHA Regulations state that those who work in a particularly noisy environment (classified as one that that exceeds 85 dB for 8 hours or more) are required to provide hearing protection for their employees. This can include earplugs, insulation, employee training and regular sound level testing.
How many errors and safety issues in the US are due to human error resulting from hearing loss? We may never know the answer to that. But what ourselves and our companies can do today is protect, provide and prepare for a future with less hearing loss. To check on your hearing health, contact us today at Desert Valley Audiology.