Many industries can contribute to hearing loss for people of all ages. Whether you work in construction where jackhammers and work trucks assault your ears or in an office with the constant drone of machinery and radios in the background, your hearing can suffer. You and other New Jersey residents should understand the impact of job-related hearing loss.
Hearing loss is not limited to the physical inconvenience of being hard of hearing. Your ability to perform your job and your quality of life can suffer when you can’t hear as well as you used to. Hearing loss can cause depression as you feel left out of things that people with good hearing still enjoy, such as conversation and music. You might also be put in danger if you can’t hear an approaching vehicle or a safety alarm, and you could suffer anxiety and irritation by working in a place with constant or sudden bursts of loud noise.
October is National Protect Your Hearing Month, according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders. You might start taking the steps to protect your hearing by recognizing the ways your hearing could be damaged at work and finding solutions. For example, you might wear earplugs or protective headphones designed for loud noises in industrial places. You could also request your employer provide training and offer regular screenings for hearing loss, so you and other employees can prevent hearing loss early, before it becomes severe.
As with other job-related injuries and illnesses, you may be eligible for workers’ compensation if you suffer from hearing loss that originated at work. This information should not replace the advice of a lawyer.