For people with careers in industrial work, such as farming, metal fabrication, manufacturing, mining, or construction, there are a significant amount of hazards that arise just from being on the job site. With so much heavy and potentially dangerous equipment, chemicals, and materials, the risk of injury is something that must be constantly mitigated. One of the least discussed, and yet extremely common, problems that can arise for people working in these fields is industrial deafness.

Industrial deafness, also sometimes called occupational deafness, is hearing loss that results from exposure to very loud noise, often over a very prolonged period of time. Machinery, banging materials, or other worksite factors usually generate the industrial noise that can lead to hearing damage. This damage may be very mild, and last only a few days, or be much more severe, even causing permanent hearing loss. Symptoms of industrial deafness include ringing, buzzing, or hissing in the ears, temporary or prolonged hearing loss, and ear pain. While there is only so much we can do to mitigate noise on a worksite, we can do quite a bit to protect ourselves from it.

The number one thing we can do to protect ourselves from industrial deafness is wear ear protection, such as earmuffs or earplugs. If a jobsite has noise levels of over 80db, the employer should provide ear protection to all employees, although even if the employer does not do so, all employees should take care to protect their hearing. This means that if you work on an industrial job site that frequently has high noise levels it is extremely important that you be aware the possibility of industrial deafness, and that you take steps to protect yourself from it. This may mean bringing your own ear protection to work, or taking breaks away from high noise areas to give your ears a rest, as even at lower decibel levels, prolonged exposure to noise can cause damage.

Luckily industrial deafness is highly treatable, so long as it's caught early enough and it's not so severe as to cause permanent damage. If you notice yourself exhibiting any symptoms of hearing loss, even if it seems minor, such as struggling to hear certain words in conversation, you should have your hearing checked by a doctor, who will be able ascertain if there is any damage, and if so, how to treat it.

Industrial deafness is, unfortunately, a risk that anyone working in an industrial career will have to face, and it's important that employers and employees are aware of the possible damage. That said, industrial deafness is highly avoidable, and if you take the precautions of regularly wearing ear protection, taking breaks from high noise areas, and seeing a doctor whenever symptoms of hearing loss appear, there is no reason why your hearing shouldn't remain fully functional no matter what job you have.

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