Exposures to loud noises both at work and at home can lead to permanent hearing loss, which approximately 30 million people are exposed to excessive noise. Excessive noise affects the delicate hair cells of the inner ear that over time can lead to hearing loss without pain. It is important to avoid or limit the amount of time spent in areas where there is excessive noise. If a noisy area cannot be avoided always wear hearing protection, such as foam expandable earplugs or earmuffs, which will protect an individual’s hearing loss. It is important to remember that all protection devices have limitations to the amount of noise that can be reduced.
Excessive noise can be found in many different functions around the Ball State University campus. The first defense to loud noise is always using engineering or administrative controls to reduce the noise in the area. An engineering control is anything that is used to modify or replace equipment, which reduces the noise decibel level of the area. Administrative controls are changes in the workplace that help reduce and/or eliminate the noise.
For more information contact the EHS Office at 765-285-2832 or view the BSU Hearing Conservation Program.
Other:
Free Hearing Test
OSHA Noise Exposure Information