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Prevention better than protection for World Hearing Day

World Hearing Day takes place during the first week of March, with Moray Council taking the chance to highlight the support available to staff most at risk.

You might think of hearing loss as a natural occurrence, and for some it is, however for many who work in frontline services such as Roads, Waste and Parks, it can be a risk of the working environment.

As part of our Health and Safety Guidance for noise, the council conducts assessments of the working environment to figure out what can be put in place. Depending on the situation it might mean looking into automation, purchasing low-noise equipment or enclosing anything that is too loud.

Ear defenders are normally one of the last options explored, with prevention of issues being preferred. Some roles however, such as a worker using a strimmer or saw to carry out park maintenance, will need individual protection.

The same is true for people on waste recycling rounds, as glass being loaded into the hopper can be very loud, especially over the course of a shift.

Health Surveillance

For staff considered “at risk” of potential hearing issues, the council will arrange regular hearing tests, in a bid to actively manage the issue. Senior Health & Safety Adviser, John Watson, noted: “Only very occasionally we do come across non-compliance when we are doing inspections (people not wearing hearing protection).

“However, there’s always a need to re-inforce the message, especially when people feel the exposure is short term duration.”

Providing an example of the active management to look after staffs hearing, John described the protection used by waste crews: “They got the crews fitted out with moulded ear plugs with special filters that let them hear types of noise that they really need to hear; human speech, surrounding traffic.

“Very often it’s necessary to cover more than one base.”

Advice and assistance in Health, Safety and Welfare issues is available from the Health and Safety Section, telephone number 01343 56 3178 or e-mail safetyadviser@moray.go.uk.

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