Present approach to noise exposures may be inadequate

Research from hearing protection and noise monitoring company Eave has identified that the present approach to noise exposures may be inadequate.

According to Eave's founder and Chief Executive David Greenberg:

"The Control of Noise at Work Regulations were put in place before we had today’s understanding of ‘hidden hearing loss’, which can mean reduced ability to perceive speech or communicate in noise, and there is evidence that this can happen at noise exposures below 80 dB(A).  The regulations don’t account for the cumulative effect of lower noise levels.”

Hidden hearing loss is linked to degradation of the auditory nerve in the brain, and means that an individual might be able to hear speech sounds, but would have difficulty processing them.

This could also mean that an individual with hidden hearing loss would pass some forms of hearing tests used in the workplace today, such as pure-tone audiometry testing, which is based on responding to sound tones and frequencies rather than speech.

Greenberg believes that the precautions and thinking set out in the Control of Noise at Work Regulations fail to capture this risk. “The current regulations assume that if you build up 98% of your exposure levels for one day, then you go back to zero the next day.

“That is factually incorrect. Our hearing declines because of the cumulative effect of noise. People might not be identified as being at risk under the current guidelines, but they still go deaf.”