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Can You Hear Me Now? Noise in the Workplace

Noise-induced hearing loss is one of the most common occupational disease and the second most self-reported occupational illness or injury.

By Joan E. Collier, Joan E. Collier | Updated on November 17, 2010

Noise-induced hearing loss is one of the most common occupational disease and the second most self-reported occupational illness or injury. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Association (OSHA), approximately 30 million workers are exposed to hazardous noise on the job; an additional nine million are at risk for hearing loss from other agents such as solvents and metals. While workers exposed to high noise levels can develop elevated blood pressure, ringing in the ears or permanent hearing loss, OSHA notes that exposure to hazardous noise is often ignored because the effects are typically not visible and develop over an extended period of time.

Although any worker can be at risk for noise-induced hearing loss in the workplace, those in certain industries typically have higher exposures to this workplace menace. Industries with significant numbers of at-risk workers include agriculture, mining, construction, manufacturing and utilities, transportation, and the military. For example, industry-specific studies compiled by OSHA show that:

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