Yuba City, CA   Call: 530-749-9734 | CHICO, CA   Call: 530-899-3277

Yuba: 530-749-9734 | Chico: 530-899-3277

Hearing Loss Prevention

HOME  /  HEARING LOSS  / HEARING LOSS PREVENTION

Simple Tips to Prevent Hearing Loss

There are many ways we try to stay safe. We wear a seatbelt in the car, we wear a helmet when bicycling, and we exercise to keep our heart healthy. But it’s important to also protect our hearing by preventing hearing damage whenever we anticipate a loud setting.

The louder the noise, the less time it takes to damage your hearing. A quick burst of an extremely loud noise like an explosion, gunshot, or burst of music could damage hearing. Constant noise, like a chainsaw, could still do damage, but it would take longer. It’s important to protect yourself from loud noises by using ear protection if you will be exposed to loud environments such as an industrial workplace.

Everybody Needs Hearing Protection

Let’s face it; the world is filled with noise. Your ears need sound, and we need to make sound in order to have a society. But hearing protection needs to be an important part of working or playing in noisy environments.

We offer hearing protection devices for work, play, or sport. Talk to us about your needs!

Custom Ear Molds and Plugs

We provide custom hearing protection as well as custom molds for iPods and Sleep Plugs. We also sell Musician Plugs ER-9, 15, 25 and Musician’s Monitors.

City Traffic (Inside Car): 85db

Permissible Exposure Time is 8hrs

Power Motor: 94db

Permissible Exposure Time is 1hr

Leaf Blower: 115db

Permissible Exposure Time is 30sec

How Do I Know Which Sounds Are Dangerous?

It has been determined that sounds louder than 85 dB (decibels) can cause enough damage to create hearing loss. But what is 85 dB and how do you know if you’re exposed to it?

To the right is a chart that ranks various noises along with their matching decibel intensity and time exposure. In other words, the chart tells you how long you can safely be exposed to the particular noise before it becomes dangerous. The information is courtesy of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (NIOSH/CDC).

IS OCCUPATIONAL HEARING LOSS
PREVENTABLE?

Hearing loss due to workplace environment is preventable. Controlling or lowering the noise level is the first way to prevent hearing loss, but when that is not possible, knowing your exposure risks and wearing ear protection while at work are the best way to prevent occupational hearing loss.

Every year $242 million is spent on worker’s compensation cases due to occupational hearing loss disability claims. About 22 million people (according to the NIOSH) are exposed to dangerous noise levels at work. Exposure to sudden and extreme noise bursts like gunshots, industrial noise, loud music, or motors is more dangerous than longer periods of more moderate noise. However, even more moderate noise can be damaging if exposed for long periods of time (this is why you see gardeners and street maintenance workers oftentimes wearing protective earwear!).

It is recommended by NIOSH that each workplace have a program dedicated to hearing loss prevention. The program ideally would include ear protection devices, worker education, occasional hearing tests, and accurate bookwork regarding evaluation and audits.

We have been diligently serving Yuba City, California, helping our community recover from hearing loss. Through our information-based personal service, we are helping those in our community who are suffering from reduced hearing. Our sophisticated technology coupled with personalized service has allowed folks to reconnect with family and friends. We’re helping people just like you get back to the people and activities you love.

Yuba Location

Chico Location

Office Hours

Monday – Thursday                      9AM-5PM

FRIDAY                                             9AM-1PM