Hearing Loss is an Occupational Hazard for Many

Any job you can find in the United States or around the world comes with its own set of hazards. People who work in the medical industry are exposed to communicable diseases on a daily basis and deal with hazardous waste in the form of used needles, IVs, and bodily fluids. People who drive buses or taxis are in danger of car accidents or being car jacked or robbed by customers. Police officers, Firefighters and people who work security are in constant danger of getting into violent situations. The fact of the matter is that every job has its risks. However, some jobs have risks that are more subtle than others.



One of the major occupational hazards that goes unrecognized around the country is hearing loss. People in all kinds of work often don’t even realize that they are at risk for losing their ability to hear while they are on the job. Here are some examples of jobs that lead to an increased rate of hearing damage that often goes unnoticed until it is too late.



People who work on airplanes are exposed to more inner ear trauma than most people. Airline pilots and flight attendants spend their days going up and down through the lower atmosphere and are exposed to constant changes in air pressure than can put a strain on their ear drums. The loud sound of the plane engines create a relatively steady stream of intense vibrations that can also contribute to hearing loss. To this extent, many people who work on airplanes long term experience significant hearing problems in correlation with the number of flights they have taken or the number of years they have worked on airplanes.



Another group of people who are exposed to loud sounds on a regular basis are people who operate snow plows. People who live in the Northern part of the country have become accustomed to the sound of a snow plow barreling down the street in the winter time, but we don’t think about the effect that that has on the person driving the plow. The sound of the metal plow scarping the snow and ice off of the pavement causes a large vibration that over time can cause the driver’s hearing ability to deteriorate slowly. The intense sounds of the plow create a high impact on the ear drum and can cause irreversible hearing damage.



A final occupational field that has one of the highest rates of cumulative hearing loss is people who work in the music industry. The reality of music performers today is that they are consistently exposed to speakers that just keep getting louder. With the heavy bass lines and the blaring speaker that need to deliver sound to packed stadiums, these performers are exposed to dangerous levels of sound. There seems to be a direct correlation between the number of years that a performer does shows and their ability to hear later in life. The loud speakers and subwoofers take a serious toll on performers and concert goers’ hearing levels with time.



With Miracle Ear digital hearing aids you can work against hearing loss caused by your job. You can visit HearingAids.Miracle-Ear.com to find out more about how you can get a customized hearing aid today.