In all industries, but especially in the printing industry, safety is of vital importance. This is why Optimum staff members attend monthly educational seminars conducted by the Safety Council of Greater Columbus. The last seminar was on the subject of Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) and was conducted by Doctor of Audiology Karen Mitchell.
In the printing industry press operators are surrounded by loud machinery so sharing some tips on NIHL prevention is very important to everyone at Optimum Print Solutions. Did you know that NIHL is 100% preventable when you practice the proper precautions? OSHA will be glad to visit any company to test noise levels, or meters are purchasable for around $50.00 for companies that prefer to perform their own noise level testing.
Once hearing is lost at any degree, it is gone forever. It does not heal like some other parts of the body can. For example, if a smoker stops smoking, the lungs will heal themselves in time to the status of a lifetime non-smoker. In contrast, when the nerves or hair cells in the cochlea (a section of the inner ear) die, they do not regenerate.
There are different sizes of these hair cells in the inner ear which measure different frequencies. The smallest ones are used for high frequencies and since they are more fragile, they are usually the first to be lost. This makes speech difficult to understand. Vowel sounds are about 200hz as opposed to consonants which are a higher frequency at around 800hz. Losing the ability to hear S’s, T’s & D’s make words hard to distinguish. People who are affected by hearing loss usually think their hearing is fine, they just can’t understand why so many people mumble. When in fact, they are mostly only hearing the vowel sounds and struggle to make sense of normal conversation.
A few interesting facts learned from the Safety Meeting include:
- Whereas eyeglasses correct vision and allow you to see sharp, hearing aids only amplify, they don’t clean up the signal or restore hearing to normal.
- A 25 year old carpenter who works without ear protection has the hearing of a 50 year old.
- Bose Noise Cancelation headphones actually WORK and are endorsed by audiologist Karen Mitchell Au. D.
- There are names for each section of your ears. The little knob in front of your ear-hole is called a Tragus, the top of the ear is called the Pinna.
There are many different types of hearing plugs and noise reduction devices on the marketing. This particular model, E.A.R. Classic, is the kind we provide here at Optimum Print Solutions. These earplugs have a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) of 29 decibels when inserted correctly. Because properly installing typical cylindrical earplugs is important to their effectiveness, there are instructions for this procedure listed below:
Step #1: Wash hands.Step#2: Slowly ROLL & compress it betwixt your thumb & forefingers. DO NOT JUST SMASH IT, ROLL IT!!! Continue rolling with pressure until it is a tiny crease-free spongy rod.
Step #3: Then gently pull your Pinna (top of ear) outward & upward & proceed with the insertion. The pulling of the Pinna straightens out the ear canal, allowing the earplug to go deep enough for a proper fit.
