Sasha Brown, Occupational Audiologist at WorkSafeBC

WorkSafeBC health care services saw over 30,000 hearing loss claims, roughly 2000 new claims a year, over 38 people a week. This number, although some might not think it to be much, represents 28 million dollars a year in hearing aids alone. Hearing loss is a serious work related illness affecting workers in more ways than just hearing loss alone. Studies have shown that workplace noise has been linked to non-auditory effects such as early onset dementia and cognitive decline, increases in feelings of isolation and frustration as well as impacts on the cardiovascular system, increased hypertension and elevated blood pressure. More research has also identified the synergistic effects of some chemicals on hearing loss (ototoxicants) such as lead, styrene, toluene and carbon monoxide.

2021 marks the start of the Occupational Disease Initiative where hearing loss prevention is a highlight. Improvements in the hearing test databases for audiometric testing has improved and now includes a clarification “do you wear hearing protection” and “if not, why”. WorkSafeBC has also found that education, training and fit testing has also impacted the working population by decreasing noise induced hearing loss over time. Field Attenuation Estimation Systems (FAES) have gotten increasingly useful in providing workers with a Personal Attenuation Rating for the earplugs they chose to use and also helped provide great education and training for what a proper ear plug fit feels like. Advances in Hearing Protection Devices has greatly enabled those impacted by hearing loss to maintain their communication abilities in the field as well.

Hearing loss still impacts many Canadians, hearing conservation is not just about hearing loss but impacts on the psychological and physiological health and safety of the Canadian workers.

Date: September 15, 2021

TIME: TBD

Presenter: TBD

Topic: TBD

Location: TBD