Almost 25 per cent of Australians know someone suffering from workplace-related hearing damage but one in three give little thought to how to protect their hearing. Hearing Australia encourages everyone to prioritise their hearing health- at work and play.
“National Safe Work Month (October) reminds us that we must look after our hearing,” says Hearing Australia Principal Audiologist, Karen Hirschausen.
“The National Safe Work Month theme states that safety is everyone’s business – and not just in the workplace; hearing damage can also occur outside work. Our research found that more than one in five respondents have either experienced hearing damage from leisure activities or know someone who has.”
Hearing Australia’s national survey found one in four Australians think about hearing protection and use it at work or when undertaking noisy activities in leisure time.
“These statistics are a real concern,” says Karen. “Hearing is such an important sense but more than 1.1 million Australians² are exposed to hazardous noise in their workplace. Noise-induced hearing loss is one of the most common occupational diseases³ but it’s also one of the most preventable.”
Certain leisure activities can also be very noisy and potentially risk hearing damage. “What our research found is that many people don’t fully understand the risk to their hearing in a nightclub or concert, and they overestimate the length of time they can spend in these noisy environments without hearing protection before risking hearing damage.” Karen says.
“It’s important that when people are in loud environments like this, they take steps to protect their hearing, such as having regular breaks and moving away from speakers.”
