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Hearing Safety
INSTRUCTOR GUIDE
Safety Talk Overview
Safety Talks are a method to refresh an employee’s knowledge and skills, maintain their interest in safety and
illustrate the organization’s commitment to creating a healthy & safe work environment. Safety Talks can be
performed on a weekly basis or before the start of a new scope of work and should be about 15 minutes in
duration. Generally, these Safety Talk meetings are led by a supervisor and should be mandatory for all crew
members to attend. The content should be centered on a single topic (e.g. a safety rule, safe job procedures,
recent incident, Joint Occupational Health & Safety Committee (JOHSC) meeting minutes, inspection results,
etc.).
Topic Overview:
At helicopter and cat skiing operations in BC every year, a large number of employees are injured by exposure
to excessive noise.
Demonstration and Discussion Topics
 Discuss the hazards of exposure to excessive noise.
 Tour the work area with workers pointing out where the accidents can occur.
 Distribute the “Do’s & Don’ts” section of this handout.
 Use the “Instructor Guide” section of the handout as your discussion guide and the “Safety Talk Record” to
document the meeting.
 Discuss how accidents can happen.
 Remind employees that they are required to wear adequate personal protective equipment.
 Explain what can be done to minimize the risk of accidents (do’s & don’ts in handout)
 Emphasize that following safe work procedures is mandatory.
 Make it real by telling at least two true stories of injuries from your experience.
 Discuss the attitude of “it won’t happen to me”. Remind them that an injury can and will happen if they take
shortcuts or are careless.
 Answer any questions or concerns they might have.
 Set a good example by working safely at all times.
Hearing Safety
SAFETY TALK RECORD
Discussion Leader:
Date:
Department:
Time:
Attendees (Please print your name and sign beside it. If you are a contractor, also include your
company name):
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Near Miss/Incidents and Investigations Reviewed: (None this month )
(Industry alerts can be discussed here as well)
Safety Topic Discussed:
Title:
Date:
Any questions or concerns from workers?
Action Needed:
Person responsible:
Due Date:
Reviewed By:
Supervisor/Manager Print Name & Sign:
Date:
Completed Date:
Hearing Safety
When noise exceeds regulated limits, employers must have an effective noise control and hearing loss
prevention program. The regulated limit set by the WorkSafeBC for noise exposure in BC is 85 decibels (dBA)
for an eight-hour period, or an equivalent noise exposure of one Pascal-squared hour (Pa2h). For impact
noises (for example, pile driving or hammering), a 140 dBC (decibels related to the carrier) peak sound level
cannot be exceeded. The goal of a hearing loss prevention program is to reduce the noise exposure of workers
to a safe level and prevent occupational hearing loss.
Hearing loss prevention programs must address:
•
Noise measurement
•
Education and training
•
Engineered noise control
•
Hearing protection
•
Posting of noise hazard areas
•
Hearing tests
•
Annual program review
When you’re exposed to excessive noise, damage occurs to tiny sensory cells deep
inside your ear, so there is no way for you to see the damage. The first danger sign
will be the reduced ability to hear high pitched sounds.
As noise-related damage continues, hearing loss will affect your ability to understand what others are saying.
Noise exposure can also cause ringing in your ears. At the end of a day’s work, you may notice that sounds
seem muffled.
How Much is Too Much?
Every workplace is governed by maximum noise exposure limits, both in terms of loudness and duration. A
simple way to test your degree of exposure to noise is to talk to someone who is standing an arm’s length
away from you. If you need to raise your voice for that person to hear you, you’re likely being exposed to
excessive noise.
You should consider the duration of noise exposure to be just as important as its loudness. Continuous noise
throughout a shift is more damaging than being exposed a few minutes at a time. If your ears ring or the
sounds seem muffled after the noise stops, your hearing has been affected — at least temporarily.
If you expose yourself to a noise level greater than 85 decibels (dBA) (about the equivalent of sustained traffic
noise) during an average eight-hour day, it can permanently damage your hearing.
Hearing Safety
Choosing the right hearing protection
The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) currently rates hearing protection as meeting Class A, B, or C,
depending on how much noise reduction the protection provides. The recommended protection for eight hours
of exposure is as follows:
Exposure: Lex,8 (dBA)
Recommended class
< 90
C
> 90 up to and including 95
B
> 95 up to and including 105
A
> 105
Dual *
* Dual hearing protection shall be used. A minimum of a Class B earmuff and a Class A earplug is required.
DO’S:
•
Use decibel meters to test questionable areas. Rule of thumb: if you have to shout to talk to people,
the noise level is probably over 85 dBA and protection is needed.
•
Select Hearing Protection Devices (HPD) based on noise exposure, communication demands, hearing
ability, use of personal protective devices, temperature and climate, and physical characteristics of the
job or worker.
•
Ensure that foam earplugs are inserted properly by doing the following:
1. Use clean hands to roll and compress the entire earplug into a thin cylinder.
2. To make insertion easier, pull back and up on the outer part of the ear.
3. Insert the earplug into the ear canal, and hold it in place for a few seconds until it expands and
blocks out noise.
•
Understand what types of hearing protection are available:
o
Ear plugs – inserted to block the ear canal;
o
Semi-insert plugs – two ear plugs held over the ends of the ear canal by a rigid headband;
o
Ear muffs – sound diminishing cushions that fit around the ear and are held on with a head
band.
Hearing Safety
DO’S (CONT’D):
•
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Understand when you should wear hearing protection:
o
When you have to shout to be heard;
o
When your ears are roaring or ringing at the end of the workday;
o
When speech or music sounds muffled after you leave work but clear in the morning.
Participate in annual hearing tests (this is a WorkSafeBC requirement).
DON’TS:
•
Do not wait until you notice you are experiencing hearing loss to start protecting yourself from harmful
noise