Cover your ears
Jun 30, 2008 12:46 PM, By Sarah Day
Hearing protectors for farm noise limit risk of hearing loss
Almost every day, you are in environments with excessive noise that could permanently damage your hearing. Protecting your hearing now — by regularly wearing protective devices — will save you from needing a hearing aid later.
“Hearing loss is an epidemic in farming because any farmer over 50 is likely to have hearing loss,” says Steven Kirkhorn, medical director and chair of occupational health at the National Farm Medicine Center, Marshfield, WI. “The loss can significantly impact quality of life.”
According to a recent University of Iowa study of 904 farmers, those who wore hearing aids had twice as many farm-related injuries as those who had retained good hearing and didn’t need one.
Farmers not protected
Farmers have a risk of incurring hearing loss due to frequent and continuous exposure to loud noise. Tractors, combines, choppers and grain dryers all can cause permanent hearing loss.
Despite the risk, farm families in many states are not protected by the standard noise regulations set by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), according to Roger Hoy, director of the Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory in Lincoln, NE. This is because OSHA is prohibited from enforcing its policies on businesses with 10 or fewer employees, which defines most farms. In addition, OSHA does not consider family members to be “employees,” which reduces the likelihood that farms will have noise-level testing done.
OSHA does not mandate hearing tests or noise-level assessments on farms because of the financial burden it would place on farm owners and managers, Kirkhorn explains. But he worries about the effect this loophole has on farm workers. “Farm workers are generally not aware of changes in their hearing until they get into their 50s,” he says. “Hearing loss is one of those hidden costs that don’t get factored in.”
Measure the noise
So how can you protect your hearing? The first step is to know when you need protection. As a general rule, an environment is too loud if you have to raise your voice to be heard by someone an arm’s length away, or if your ears ring after leaving a noisy place.
Health and safety experts suggest that a level of 90 dB is the maximum noise level that a person should be exposed to over the course of an eight-hour day. The higher the decibel rating, the less time it takes for hearing loss to occur. For example, a grain dryer rated around 110 dB can cause hearing loss in only two minutes if hearing protection is not worn.
An uncabbed tractor, power mower or snowmobile produces approximately 100 dB, and safe exposure time is only two hours, according to the Farm Safety Association in Guelph, Ontario. Noise levels at feeding time in livestock barns may be even higher.
The National Ag Safety Database and the National Safety Council provide decibel ratings for common farm activities. These ratings can help you determine the level of protection you need.
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