By Pete Murphy | S AFET Y & COMPL IANCE
Photos courtesy Haven Technologies / ISOtunes
Situational awareness technology offers precise impulse filtration that reduces harmful sounds while still giving users complete awareness on a jobsite.
Choose the Best Hearing Protection for Your Jobsites With so many sources of loud noises on jobsites, hearing protection is an essential form of PPE.
W
ith construction sites having many noisy operations and machinery, workers are at risk of unsafe levels of noise exposure every day. Exposure to loud noises, no matter how frequently, can lead to irreversible hearing damage and hearing loss. And unfortunately, these everyday noises can contribute to workplace accidents due to it being difficult to hear your own team and important warning signals. With so many sources of loud
noises on construction sites, it’s important to understand why hearing protection headphones are an essential form of personal protective equipment (PPE) and why construction site managers need to put safety measures in place to prevent irreversible hearing loss. While there are still challenges of ensuring appropriate hearing protection while on a jobsite, managers need to make sure that protection is in place to ensure workers are maintaining proper communication during a job.
Following are best practices construction site managers should consider when deciding proper hearing protection for their workers, and ensuring employees are impeding hearing loss for as long as possible.
KNOW THE CHALLENGES It’s a challenge in and of itself to make hearing protection a priority on the jobsite, but making sure to maintain proper communication while simultaneously ensuring workers are following
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proper hearing safety guidelines can pose several obstacles. Construction workers may be hesitant at first to add another layer of protection to their ensemble. Proper education can help convince employees that protective headphones are just as important as any other safety gear. Include this education during the onboarding process so employees know the expectations from the start. Another challenge to consider
is the functionality of the hearing protection headphone. Maintaining proper communication on a worksite is vital. Between loud equipment and other distracting noises (i.e., cars driving by, sirens, etc.), workers also need to be able to hear important warning signals or general instructions from colleagues or managers. Professionals have to either remove their hearing protection equipment every time they need to communicate with others or
December 2021 | EQ U I P MEN T TO D AY 47
