WorkSafeNB is asking New Brunswickers to protect their hearing at work, at home and at play.
Noise is present in many New Brunswick workplaces, but being exposed to too much can cause permanent and irreversible damage.
In addition to affecting a worker’s quality of life, noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) impacts our economy. In 2016, WorkSafeNB paid $15.4 million in compensation to workers diagnosed with NIHL.
Since 2007, WorkSafeNB has provided hearing aids and related services to more than 8,000 workers. And that number is expected to grow even faster as New Brunswick’s population ages.
“Noise-induced hearing loss needs to be taken seriously,” said Tim Petersen, WorkSafeNB’s acting president and CEO. “Unlike a cut or fracture, it’s rarely painful and usually develops gradually over time, but it can have debilitating effects.”
Studies have also found that workers exposed to noise levels of 100 decibels or greater are more than twice as likely to be hospitalized for a workplace injury.
As New Brunswick’s leader in workplace injury prevention, WorkSafeNB has kicked off a campaign encouraging New Brunswickers to protect their ears.
Like wearing a hard hat or work boots, workers must wear hearing protection such as earmuffs or earplugs. They must also limit noise exposure both at work and outside work because noise exposure can accumulate.
“Our goal is to encourage everyone to wear hearing protection as part of their safety practices at work,” Petersen said. “We want to raise awareness among workers and employers of the prevalence and seriousness of this occupational disease so workers don’t need to live with its debilitating effects for the rest of their lives.”
New Brunswick’s Occupational Health and Safety Act requires employers to provide some form of control in noisy workplaces and to measure noise levels and employee exposures when levels are expected to exceed 85 dBA.
For more information, please visit our Noise-induced Hearing Loss portal.