Listening to your favorite podcast, watching a tv show and talking with friends all have one thing in common: sound. Hearing is a sense many people take for granted until it is gone. Continued exposure to loud noises can lead to gradual hearing loss. Contrary to what your parents told you as a teenager, loud music is not the only problem. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, roughly 22 million people come in contact with damaging noise in the workplace every year.
Sound exposure can happen anywhere, but there are a few industries where worker hearing loss is more prevalent.
Service industry
With loud music, clanging pots and pans, and raised voices, restaurants are noisy environments. Employees in the service industry commonly experience hearing loss and issues like tinnitus. Restaurant servers, kitchen staff and bartenders are all at risk.
Construction
Construction laborers are aware of the loud racket plaguing their line of work. Companies should require personnel to wear safety equipment to protect their ears from the constant assault of noise. Over time, even the most careful workers can sustain damage from high decibels.
Trucking
This solitary lifestyle may not seem like a culprit for auditory damage. After all, someone sitting alone in a truck cab can control the volume on the radio. However, the vehicle itself is pretty loud, and never-ending road noise and rushing wind can cause significant eardrum damage over time.
You may not notice a problem with your hearing until much later in life, long after you have left the job that caused the problem. If you experience deafness caused by workplace noises, you may be eligible to receive compensation for this life-altering problem.