Trends in ... hearing protection | 2020-03-29 - Safety+Health magazine

-

How big of a problem is work-related hearing loss? Bigger than you might think.

Eschbach-Andy.jpgAccording to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 11% of workers have hearing impairment, and 1 out of 4 cases of hearing loss are the result of work-related exposures. Safety+Health spoke with Andy Eschbach, director of retail sales at Port Washington, NY-based Pyramex Safety Products, who shared his thoughts on the current state of workplace hearing protection.

Safety+Health: What are some of the recent innovations in the hearing protection field?

Andy Eschbach: The growth of new products in the active hearing protection market is tremendous. Customers are wanting the ability to stay connected to their devices while still being protected from the dangerous noise levels around them. Whether they’re operating a table saw or enjoying some time on the shooting range, active hearing protection gives them the ability to stay safe and stay connected.

S+H: What do you wish employers and workers better understood about hearing protection?

Eschbach: Working in an environment with harmful noise levels – even if just for a few minutes – can be dangerous if repeated over and over. We’re only blessed with two ears. Don’t risk losing your hearing for the convenience of performing a task without putting on your hearing protection.

S+H: What concerns or questions are customers coming to you with regarding hearing protection?

Eschbach: Specifically in the retail world, we’re getting more questions about unknown “brands” on Amazon and other retail-focused brands that are boasting blatantly false [noise reduction ratings]. We include earplugs (32-decibel NRR) in several of our retail-focused hearing protection units to be able to help combat the bad NRRs these companies are putting out there on the market. Double up and get maximum hearing protection rather than buying an unknown brand and risk losing your hearing.

S+H: What’s on the horizon?

Eschbach: Electronic active hearing protection is the new horizon. As with most of our electronic devices, more features and improved user friendliness is the key.

Compiled with the assistance of the International Safety Equipment Association

Coming next month:

  • Hearing protection
  • Respiratory protection


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Well-liked Medicare plan vs. higher-ranked providers - ChicagoNow

-
Image
Medicare Open Enrollment ends December 7. The easy choice is to stay with all-in-one Medicare Advantage instead of switching to Traditional Medicare plus a supplement and drug plan. The hard one is whether to switch between Medicare Advantage plans, from a well-liked one to one accepted at a so-called top-10 hospital. Humana Gold Plus, a Medicare Advantage HMO, has served me well for five years. Hearing aids cost me only $10 after its $2,000 allowance. Routine doctor and dentist appointments and my medication cost nothing. But Humana Gold Plus is not accepted by Northwestern Memorial Hospital, the nearby hospital that US News & World Report ranks as the tenth best in the country, or by Northwestern Medicine physicians. My primary care physician is in an Advocate Medical Group. If I were hospitalized, it would be at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center. If I had a serious illness, I’d see specialists in Advocate’s network. Illinois Masonic is not a second-rate hospital, and...
Read more

Minnesota veterans blame 3M's 'defective' ear plugs for hearing damage - KSTP

-
Image
3M did not admit any wrongdoing as part of that settlement. Read 3M's full statement on the ear plugs here. "We deny this product was defectively designed," a company spokesperson said in a statement to 5 INVESTIGATES, adding they will "defend against the allegations in these lawsuits." More than 630 lawsuits have been filed and will be heard in a federal court in Florida. An attorney involved with the multi-district litigation says roughly 30 have been filed by veterans who live in Minnesota. Constant ringing Sarah Kay Carlson, an Army veteran from St. Paul, filed her lawsuit in April, claiming 3M exposed her and thousands of other Marines and soldiers to "extremely dangerous and disabling noise." 3M Earplug Complaint (Sarah Kay Carlson) Ramsey County (Filed) (PDF) 3M Earplug Complaint (Sarah Kay Carlson) Ramsey County (Filed) (Text) Carlson, who was deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom in the late 2000s, provided security to convoys t...
Read more

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD): Practice Essentials, Background, Genetics

-
Image
hemophilia c factor 11 :: Article Creator Regeneron Reports Fourth Quarter And Full Year 2023 Financial And Operating Results Fourth quarter 2023 revenues increased 1% to $3.43 billion versus fourth quarter 2022; excluding RonapreveTM(a)(b), revenuesincreased 14% Full year 2023 revenues increased 8% to $13.12 billion versus full year 2022;excluding Ronapreve(a), revenuesincreased 12% Fourth quarter 2023 Dupixent®global net sales(recorded by Sanofi) increased 31% to $3.22 billion versus fourth quarter 2022; full year 2023 Dupixent global net sales increased 33% to $11.59 billion versus 2022 Fourth quarter 2023 U.S. Net sales for EYLEA®HD and EYLEA®were $1.46 billion, including $123 million from EYLEA HD; full year 2023 U.S. Net sales for EYLEA HD and EYLEA were $5.89 billion, including $166 million from EYLEA HD following its August 2023 FDA approval Fourth quarter 2023 Libtayo®global n...
Read more