Construction workers suffering from hearing loss

There are a variety of potential dangers that go along with working in construction - among them is asbestos; slips, trips and falls; hand arm vibration syndrome and injury from moving objects. However, Hearing Loss, Tinnitus and Hyperacusis are also an incredibly high risk for those working in construction.

A safe level of noise remains below 85 decibels, as anything above this can cause long-term damage to the tiny hair cells within the inner ear, potentially resulting in Hearing Loss and Tinnitus. Much of the equipment and machinery used by construction workers - such as demolition hammers, chop saws, chainsaws and hammer drills - reach well above a safe listening level. Even an hour of exposure to these noise levels per day can cause serious long-term damage.

What exactly is Tinnitus?

The medical description of Tinnitus is the perception of noise or ringing in the ears. To describe how noise exposure can cause Tinnitus, it is easier to imagine the tiny hair cells in your ear as a field of crops, and noise as a helicopter. Each time this helicopter lands on the field of crops, it bends the crops which need time to recover and stand up straight once again. As the helicopter keeps on landing on the crops, the crops become more and more damaged, and eventually the crops cannot recover, remaining permanently damaged and bent.

This is very similar to what happens to a person’s ears when exposed to sounds above 85 decibels - much like the crops, the hair cells become damaged. The more regularly this happens, the longer and harder it is for the hair cells to recover - and just like the field of crops, the hair cells become permanently damaged resulting in Tinnitus.

What treatment is available for Tinnitus?

Although there is no cure for Tinnitus yet, there are a variety of treatment options available, helping many sufferers of the condition to live happy lives.

Tinnitus Retraining Therapy involves a combination of sound therapy and counselling (CBT) to assist with the emotional and behavioural effects of living with Tinnitus. It is a type of sound therapy that is used to retrain the patient’s brain to ‘tune out’ their Tinnitus and aims to make the patient less aware of the noise.

This particular sound therapy uses external sound to mask the internal sound of Tinnitus and mitigates this noise on a number of levels:

• External sound can partially or completely cover the Tinnitus noise, and can also divert the patient’s attention while the sound is being played, providing immediate relief
• Helps habituation, where the brain is trained over time to reclassify Tinnitus as an unimportant sound that should be ignored
• The use of specialised sound minimises the hyperactivity in the brain thought to be the underlying mechanism of Tinnitus

Quality Audiology and NIHL Reports at MLA

As Industrial Disease specialists, we’re proud to offer an incredible team of experts, all who are dedicated to delivering quality, timely and cost-effective medical reports. Using a range of screening and testing methods - including Audiology Screening, ENT Reports and CERA Testing - we’ll advise you on the most appropriate pathway for your client.

For more information about our NIHL Reporting service, click here. Or to instruct us for a Hearing Aid or Tinnitus Treatment Report, please contact us.