Can You Hear Me?

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Can You Hear Me?

• An Introduction to Hearing Loss Prevention
• In Agriculture
• Janet Ehlers, R.N., M.S.N.
• Occupational Health Nurse
• Pamela S. Graydon, M.S., COHC
• Electronics Engineer

The results reported in this workshop represent
the opinions of the authors and do not
necessarily represent the policies of the
National Institute for Occupational Safety and
Health.
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Janet Ehlers, R.N., MSN Occupational Health
Nurse jehlers_at_cdc.gov
Pamela S. Graydon, M.S., COHC Electronics
Engineer pgraydon_at_cdc.gov
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WHAT WE WILL TALK ABOUT? Damage to
Hearing including Hearing Loss Tinnitus How
to Prevent the Damage Hints and Resources
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Disclosure There is no commercial support for
this activity. CDC, our planners, and our
presenters wish to disclose they have no
financial interests or other relationships with
the manufacturers of commercial products,
suppliers of commercial services, or commercial
supporters. Presentations will not include any
discussion of the unlabeled use of a product or a
product under investigational use.
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For Continuing Nursing Education for Nurses
(CNE) 1.2 The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention is accredited as a provider of
Continuing Nursing Education by the American
Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on
Accreditation. This activity provides 1.2 contact
hours. Continuing Education Contact Hours in
Health Education (CECH) 1.5 Sponsored by the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a
designated provider of continuing education
contact hours (CECH) in health education by the
National Commission for Health Education
Credentialing, Inc. This program is designed for
Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) to
receive up to 1.5 Category I CECH in health
education. CDC provider number GA0082. IACET
Continuing Education Units (CEU) 0.1 The CDC
has been approved as an Authorized Provider by
the International Association for Continuing
Education and Training (IACET), 1760 Old Meadow
Road, Suite 500, McLean, VA 22102. The CDC is
authorized by IACET to offer 0.1 ANSI/IACET
CEU's for this program.
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To receive continuing education Can You Hear
Me? Hearing Loss Prevention In
AgriculturePresented on Tuesday, June 7,
2011Course number EV1726R
Verification Code farm_noise (note the
underscore)Must be completed by July 7, 2011

• Go to the CDC Training and Continuing Education
• Online at http//www.cdc.gov/tceonline
• Search register for this course .
• Complete and submit your evaluation and posttest
• Your CE certificate will be located at the
• Transcript and Certificate section of
  your record
• Complete application for CE within 30 days
• For more detailed instructions, e-mail me at
  jehlers_at_cdc.gov

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Occupational Safety and Health Act Of 1970

• To ensure safe and healthful working conditions
  for working men and women.

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Occupational Safety and Health Act Of 1970

• OSHA - U.S. Department of Labor
• Develop and enforce workplace safety and health
  regulations.
• NIOSH - U.S. Department of Health and Human
  Services
• Provide research, information, education, and
  training in the field of occupational safety and
  health.

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Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

• An acquired hearing loss
• Begins at the higher frequencies
• (3,000 to 6,000 Hz)
• Develops gradually as a result of chronic
  exposure to continuous or intermittent noise
• Nail Guns, Generator Running, Engine Noise, etc.
• Develops suddenly as a result of a single
  impulsive noise exposure.
• Gunfire ,Fireworks, etc.

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Who is at Risk?

• 33 of all people who are exposed to hazardous
  noise at work will develop Noise-Induced Hearing
  Loss.
• Even young people are at risk
• 12-15 of people between 6 and 19 years old
  show signs of Hearing Loss.

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Noise-induced hearing loss is

• PAINLESS
• PROGRESSIVE
• PERMANENT
• ...but it is also PREVENTABLE

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How Does Noise Damage Hearing?
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Healthy Cochlea
Damaged Cochlea
National Hearing Conservation Association
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Healthy Hair Cells
Damaged Hair Cells
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You Have Killed the Hair Cells Associated With
the Nerve Fibers They Have Died.NOW WHAT???
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How Do We Measure Sound?

• Decibels (dB) How loud it is
• Frequency High pitch vs. low pitch

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Frequency (Hz)
Hearing Level (decibels)
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By age 25, the average carpenter or millwright
has 50-year old ears!
Frequency (Hz)
Hearing Level (decibels)
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Tinnitus

• One form of damage results in tinnitus
• A ringing, buzzing, whistling, clicking, hissing,
  chirping or other noise,
• heard in the ear in the absence of environmental
  noise.

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Tinnitus What does it mean when you have it?
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Percent of People With Tinnitus
American Tinnitus Association
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Hearing Loss Does Not Mean Everything Is Just
Quiet

• I thought if I lost my hearing, it would be
  quiet. But that constant ringing keeps me awake
  at night and I cant hear my friends very well on
  my cell phone.

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Hearing Loss Impacts All Aspects of Life
My little girl doesnt understand why I
cant hear what she is whispering in my ear.
she says . . . Mommy hears me when I whisper.
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How Can You Protect Yourself, Students, Others
From Damaging Hearing?
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What You Should Do To Prevent
Hearing Damage

• Hierarchy of Controls
• Reduce the noise
• or isolate the worker from the
  noise
• (Engineering controls)
• Remove the worker
• (Administrative controls)
• Use Hearing protection devices

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Warning Signs of Too Much Noise

• Raise your voice to be heard at arms length
• Feeling of fullness in ears
• Ringing in ears
• Huh? What?
• Blasting radio/TV
• Raised Blood Pressure
• Tired, Stressed

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Noise Levels forCommon Tools
Task/Tool
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Key Factors for SelectingHearing Protection
Devices

• Type Intermittent or continuous noise
• Comfort RIGHT SIZE
• Environment grease, dirt
• Communication - co-workers and equipment
• NIOSH Hearing Protector Device Compendium

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• The Best choiceThe one that is
• worn correctly when needed
• -best suited for the job

Over 400 available
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The plug is best rolled between the fingertips
One-handed
One-handed
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Formable Earplugs
Roll down slowly. Make sure you dont get
creases. Reach over you head to straighten the
ear canal. Insert and hold for about 10
seconds. ???? Perform the hands over the ears
test to determine if you have a good fit.
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Premolded Earplugs
Hold the stem of the plug. Reach over you head
to straighten the ear canal. Insert so that all
flanges are inside the ear canal. Perform the
tug test to determine if you have a good fit.
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Bands

• Can be labeled with students name
• Teachers can see if they are wearing
• Hang around neck when not needed and put on
  quickly
• Have replaceable tips, no need to replace whole
  band

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Why do people say they do not wear hearing
protection?
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Cost

• NO EXCUSE
• Disposable plugs available for 0.18
• Custom plugs can cost hundreds of dollars but
  last for years and are tailored to different
  exposures

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Communicationand Hearing Equipment

• NO EXCUSE
• Electronic devices can make communication easier.
• Hearing can be temporarily impaired during a day
  if noise is excessive. Therefore, you may be
  less able to hear your equipment due to hearing
  loss later in the same work day than earlier.

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Comfort

• NO EXCUSE
• Over 400 types available
• Different sizes available for different size ears
• Can be custom fit

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Convenience

• NO EXCUSE
• Easily removed and hung around the neck until
  needed
• Kept on belt or hard hat
• Left in the workers toolbox
• Available at each machine that is excessively
  noisy

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Culture Peer Pressure

• NO EXCUSE
• Especially for teachers and supervisors
• Teachers can eliminate this aspect by requiring
  hearing protection use in labs and modeling the
  appropriate use of hearing protection yourself.

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Maintain hearing protection

• Keep them clean
• Store them appropriately
• Replace them when needed
• When plugs or seals feel different
• When plugs or seals appear dirty
• Do not alter them
• By cutting flanges
• By putting holes in them
• By adding your own string

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Other Sources Of Hearing Damage

• Pesticides
• Organic solvents
• Carbon Monoxide
• Medications, e.g. aspirin and anti-inflammatories
• Smoking
• Leisure activities

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How loud are you listening?Nick tells you
Instructions available at dangerousdecibels.org
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Personal Music Players
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Jo Farmer CarlieDave and Shari Kuther -
PAF Amy Rademaker - PAFClinic
Nurse Specialist Farm Safety Specialist St.
Marys Hospital Clinics, ID Carle Foundation
Hospital, IL
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Hints and Resources

• Dangerous Decibels Teacher Kit
• Handout of our slides
• Posters
• List of Resources (Websites)
• Brochures (Hard copy or electronically)
• Your Local Community

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Free Brochures
NIOSH Publication No. 2007-175
NIOSH Publication No. 2007-176
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• Free NIOSH Companion Brochures
• Theyre Your Ears Protect Them
• (Pub. 2007-175 red)
• Have You Heard?
• (Pub. 2007-176 blue)
• Access online at www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise/p
  ubs/ no pubs.html
• Order in bulk via jehlers_at_cdc.gov
• Provide complete mailing address and phone
  number

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Community ResourcesVolunteers ?

• Local large company
• Certified Occupational Hearing Conservationist
  (20 hour course)
• Occupational Health Nurse
• Safety director
• School Speech Pathologist
• School nurse with additional education
• Audiologist

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Turn That Down! Before you pop in those
EARBUDSArticle in FFA New HorizonsDecember
2009Sound Advice Through the YearsA narrative,
interactive activity Deborah Reed, RN, PhD
University of KY NAAE Communities of Practice
Classroom-ready resource National Association
of Agricultural Educators. Their website is
available free to anyone.

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Hearing SafetyClassroom-ready materials
http//www.gactaern.org/foundationskills.html.
Scroll down to FS7.3 on hearing safety. Georgia
(GA) Agricultural Education Curriculum Office.
Sound Ideas Program University of Arkansas
(AR) Division of Agriculture's Cooperative
Extension Service (4-H)Used in AR and Colorado
(CO) with the STEM programLaVona Traywick,
University of AKWilla Williams, CO State
University
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Upcoming dates times (Eastern Daylight)

• Can You Hear Me?... Agriculture
• Tuesday, May 17, 2011 230-345 pm
• Hearing Conservation in Schools
• What School Nurses Need to Know
• Tuesday, May 3, 2011 300-400 pm
• For additional dates and participation
  information
• e-mail jehlers_at_cdc.gov for an electronic
  
• announcement you can forward to others

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www.cdc.gov/nioshwww.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noi
sewww.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/youthwww.cdc.gov/na
sdJanet Ehlers, RN, MSN jehlers_at_cdc.gov

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WHAT WE TALKED ABOUT! Hearing Loss
and Tinnitus Noise Hearing Protection Hints
and Resources.
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Its Really Pretty Simple. . .
Wear This Now. . .
Or Wear This Later!
Per Pair Standard issue 0.18-7 Newest
Technology 250
Each Ear Standard issue 300-600 Newest
Technology 3500-5000
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This is your ear.
This is your ear on noise.
Any questions?
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To receive continuing education Can You Hear
Me? Hearing Loss Prevention In
AgriculturePresented on Tuesday, May 17,
2011Course number EV1726Q
Verification Code farm_noiseMust be completed
by June 14, 2011

• Go to the CDC Training and Continuing Education
• Online at http//www.cdc.gov/tceonline
• Search register for this course .
• Complete and submit your evaluation and posttest
• Your CE certificate will be located at the
• Transcript and Certificate section of
  your record
• Complete application for CE within 30 days
• For more detailed instructions, e-mail me at
  jehlers_at_cdc.gov

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Take Home Message

• Select appropriately
• Wear correctly
• Wear in loud noise - always
• Have an assortment for students