Ear Protection in Victoria

Hearing loss can occur is many social and recreational situations. We all accept that many industries can subject individuals to abnormally loud noise and we expect and demand that hearing protection be provided for by the employer and rightly so.

However, hearing loss is equally prevalent in many recreational environments and because we often don't consider these situations to be hazardous we overlook the possible noise damage and subsequent hearing loss.

A noise-induced loss is painless, invisible, slow and permanent. It's because of the slow onset that individuals often underestimate the necessity to protect their hearing until it’s all too late. One of the early warning signals is when the "ringing" in the ears starts after a bout of loud noise which may last for several hours or even a day or two after an incident.

The ringing in the ears is often associated with a temporary threshold shift (TTS) which results in reduced hearing for a period of time. Unfortunately, this temporary reduction in hearing can become permanent due to an accumulative effect. In other words, the more you expose yourself to loud noise without adequate protection, the greater the likelihood of permanent hearing loss.

Typically, people believe it's the traditionally loud situations like industrial environments that can be damaging to hearing but here are a few social/recreational activities that can be potentially damaging. Here are a few examples.

Never underestimate the accumulative effect that noise exposure has on hearing! Take heed of the warning signs. If you are experiencing any degree of ringing in the ears after noise, it is fairly safe to assume that you are affecting the long-term health of your hearing.