Obscure Jobs That Can Cause Hearing Loss

Ear protection is always a great way to save your hearing when holding occupations like working in a noisy factory or on the tarmac of an airport. However, did you know there are obscure occupations where hearing protection is also valuable? We are going to explore these occupations and the available protections on the marketplace today.  

Among the many professions in the world, there are distinct requirements of what to wear on the job. Some jobs require you to wear uniforms, others to name tags, but many also need hearing protective gear. According the World Health Organization (W.H.O.), occupational hearing loss accounts for one-third of disabling conditions brought on by work in the world. This debilitating condition is highly preventable and an unnecessary risk. Hearing loss occurs when the inner ear is exposed to prolonged exposure to noise above 85 decibels and is cumulative. That means that exposure to deafening sounds in the workplace that occur for months or years does irreparable damage to the person who is not wearing hearing protection, such as earplugs or industrial earmuffs. The unfortunate fact is that debilitating hearing loss is a senseless workplace hazard.

Many jobs are obviously dangerous to your hearing, such as a helicopter pilot or construction worker, but what about the obscure occupations that people do for a living? Below you will find some obscure jobs where hearing loss is typical that many of us may not have considered before.

Hairdresser

You have probably never considered being a hairdresser as an occupation where there is danger of hearing damage. However, the sound that emanates from a hairdryer is quite loud, and if the person fixing your hair works in a place where many hair dryers are used simultaneously, they can face noise that can reach the 85-decibel tipping point. While most hairdressers may not meet this problem because they work in smaller venues, there are some around the world who work for large firms and may not be aware they are risking their ability to hear. While it would be distracting to wear industrial earmuffs while styling a customer’s hair, ear plugs can be worn to offer some protection by reducing exposure.    

Motorcycle Delivery Person

Delivering pizzas and working as a courier using a motorcycle may not sound like a hazardous job, but apart from traffic accidents, hearing loss is a real possibility. Now you may be thinking that the obvious culprit is the roaring sound that many motorcycles produce and that this problem is easily solved by using better mufflers to reduce the noise. While this may answer part of the problem, there is one overlooked factor, the wind.

Studies have shown that the sound of the wind rushing into the ears can cause significant damage if the rider’s entire head isn’t covered by full-shell helmets. Hearing Test Labs found that, “Based on several research studies, the major contributor to hearing loss in the motorcycle industry remains the ‘silent killer’ known as ‘wind noise.’ Generically termed as the amount of noise turbulence produced around the head while the rider is in motion. Its inherited consequences result in irreversible hearing loss damage when adequate hearing protection is not worn.” Going the legal speed limit of 65 mph will make wind noise that equals 103 dB.  That is equal to the sound of a jet engine, and with repeated exposure will lead to hearing buzzing or ringing sounds in your ears at first, and later permanent hearing loss.

Traffic Cop

We are all familiar with the police officer standing in the center of an intersection directing traffic to unsnarl our rides home from work. However, were you aware that these men and women servants of the public are putting themselves at risk for hearing loss? Traffic noises are as loud as 85 dB when heard from inside a car and can reach much higher levels when experienced outside. It is easy to see that if police officers do not wear protective gear while directing traffic, they are putting themselves at risk for irreparable and permanent hearing loss. While wearing industrial earmuffs may not be possible, they are essential, and police officers should at least wear a good pair of industrial ear plugs.

Dairy Farmers

Dairy farming isn’t done on a small scale anymore, with some farms having upwards of 1,000 cows to milk each day. While it is not the cattle that cause the problem, the noise created by the equipment such as tractors, grain dryers and the vacuum pumps used to extract the milk from the cows are dangerous to the farmer’s hearing after years of prolonged and unprotected exposure. A vacuum suction pump used in the milking process can produce noise from 90-110 dB, well within the range to do permanent damage.

Police Dog Handler

There can be no doubt that canine officers are vital and valuable members of the police force. The danger to their handlers hearing from their barking is something most civilians rarely consider. Because the size of police canines is quite large, the noise of their bark from only four feet away can range between 95-110 dB, certainly loud enough to cause permanent hearing loss.

These are just a few of the positions people occupy in the world that can cause irreparable hearing loss. The damage done doing these jobs is not an inevitable conclusion and are preventable if folks will invest in hearing protective gear and wear it regularly. The next time you go to the hairdresser, receive a delivery from a courier, drink milk or see a police officer, consider how they are doing jobs that could cost them a great deal: their ability to hear.