Construction Ear Protection: Keeping Your Workers Safe

Construction sites can be extremely loud areas. As a result, worker exposure to demolition work, heavy equipment use and other job site activities can cause serious hearing damage and even hearing loss.

To protect your employees, try these construction hearing protection tips.

1. Provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Providing your employees with PPE is crucial. When it comes to earplugs, the regular models you find at most stores aren't strong enough to offer protection against the high noise levels of a construction site. At a minimum, you should supply your employees with industrial-grade earplugs. Ideally, workers would use earplugs that have been custom-made to fit their ears, and they would also have a reusable set on hand as backup.

Another option is protective earmuffs, which offer enhanced protection because they cover the entire ear. For employees who like listening to music while they work and are able to do so safely, encourage them to invest in noise-canceling headphones to help drown out construction noises.

Whatever protective equipment you and your employees choose, make sure it does not go too far into the ear. When something extends too deep into the ear canal, it can push wax and debris further down, potentially causing injury or even puncturing the eardrum.

2. Sponsor Employee Hearing Tests

Hearing tests provide information about the current state of your employees' hearing. By sponsoring regular testing, they can keep track of their results to identify and correct any patterns of hearing loss.

Employees should have their hearing checked at least a few times a year. Testing is the best way to spot any signs of hearing loss before it becomes a significant issue that impacts one's quality of life. Testing is simple, effective and will go a long way toward ensuring the health and safety of your employees.

3. Promote Healthy Habits

Many habits can affect ear health. For example, smoking suffocates the cells throughout your body, including those of your ear canal. It can also cause imbalances in sugar levels, which can be very damaging to your ears. And because your middle ear is connected to the back of your nose, it will be affected when you inhale nicotine. Damage to the middle ear can also cause you to have poor balance, which can be a hazard on the job.

Promoting a smoke-free environment and other healthy habits is another great way to ensure the overall health and safety of your employees.

Rent High-Quality Equipment From The Cat® Rental Store

At The Cat® Rental Store, we carry many machines that offer quiet operation to help you reduce construction noise and protect your employees' ear health. Our rental equipment is competitively priced, and we offer flexible rental periods to accommodate your needs.

When you work with us, you can rent whatever you need from the people who do whatever it takes. We have a full list of rental equipment online that you can browse, or you can call 1-800-RENT-CAT to get a quote on a rental or learn more about our products.