THE ESSENTIAL
- With the wearing of the anti-coronavirus mask and the summer heat, many workers do not wear noise protection.
- Deafness ranks second among occupational diseases.
–
“We did it for a long time without…”, “the ears get used to the noise…”. With the wearing of the anti-coronavirus mask and the summer heat, many workers do not wear noise protection. “In jobs exposed to noise, the occurrence of Covid-19 is accompanied by the need to wear a mask in addition to the wearing of personal protectors against noise. However, with the heat of the summer, it is to be feared that these sanitary safety measures will increase the arduousness of the tasks and lead to abandon the effective wearing of the various protections ”, worries the JNA hearing prevention association.
Deafness ranks second among occupational diseases
Tinnitus and deafness rank second among French health concerns, just behind stroke. To date, deafness ranks second among occupational diseases, with around 800 cases per year. There is also a 6-point progression in 3 years in tinnitus symptoms in the French population.
Contrary to popular belief, the ears do not have the ability to get used to noise, because they serve as “sound radar”, necessary for our survival. When the eyes are closed, the ears remain to alert of danger. In addition to this function, the mechanisms of the ear are at the heart of two fundamentals necessary for human development: communication and emotions. Any alteration, even momentary, of these three key functions – alert, communication, emotion – degrades health. “The only possibility to preserve these essential mechanisms is to wear individual hearing protectors effectively and continuously “, insists the JNA.
Personal hearing protectors are essential
It is essential to wear personal hearing protectors over 80 decibels and over 8 hours of exposure to noise pollution.
In France, 5 million people live with a hearing disability. According to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Health Barometer, this is reflected in their mental health, suicidal thoughts being 5 times more frequent in them than in the general population. Respondents thus report three times as many suicide attempts for deaf men and twice as many for deaf women.
–
