Want to know the most common work related illness in the U. S? Hearing loss. Injuries are always at the top of workers minds; protection is key but workers sometimes forget about protecting their ears. A study showed that 23% of workers exposed to loud noises suffer from some type of hearing loss. If you are not protecting your ears in loud environments, then you are damaging your ears.

Nothing restores lost hearing.

Getting worried? Here is the science behind hearing loss, anything above 85 decibels (dB) can cause damage to hearing. The longer you’re in a loud environment increases your chances of permanent hearing loss. If you want a rule of thumb for what classifies as a loud environment, try this: if you find it difficult to hear a coworker speaking in a normal tone of voice 3 feet away from you, then you know you work in a dangerously loud environment.

There’s a few things a person can do to prevent hearing loss. First, you can take breaks every few hours and leave the loud environment you find yourself in. You can also use quieter tools, thus reducing the noise level. Or, you can just avoid these steps altogether and invest in some hearing protection.

Hearing protection comes in many different styles, the two you’ve probably seen most are ear plugs and ear muffs. What these different styles share in common is that they both reduce noise levels. Wearing hearing protection can reduce noise levels up to 15- 30 db. So it’s no wonder that OSHA instructs most employers to advise their employees in wearing hearing protection.

Calolympic Safety has ear plugs and ear muffs in many different styles that are easy to use, comfortable and fit any budget. Moldex is a known manufacturer for hearing protection, and has a great selection of both ear muffs and plugs. The Glide corded ear plugs are designed to have a secure custom fit for every type of ear canal. The glide ear plugs have a small profile so they can be stashed where ever for easily accessible hearing protection.

Any type of hearing protection does the job. Hearing is an essential human sense, so you should be protecting it the same way you protect your vision. Take every step in protecting yourself at work, and make sure that if you are in a loud environment to invest in some ear plugs or muffs. They don’t cost much, and prevent permanent damage to your hearing.