In any field, prevention is better than cure. The construction industry is no exception to this rule because treating a damaged ear is far more difficult than preventing it from happening in the first place. Therefore, you should strive to guard your ears and other parts from injury through wearing the right protective gear. Unfortunately, most workers operating under constant noise pollution neglect this rule and end up having to fork out money for treating what would have been prevented. There are numerous difficulties in working with your ear unprotected. So, if you haven’t been wearing your earmuffs, here are a few reasons as to why you should start doing so today:

Exposure to excessive noise puts you at risk of developing certain conditions

There are numerous medical conditions that you are likely to develop if you don’t guard your ears well enough. When you expose yourself to noise pollution as a one-time or continuous experience, you stand the risk of ending up with certain conditions such as ONIHL. In full, this refers to occupational noise-induced hearing loss. This condition can either be permanent or temporary depending on the severity in which it hits your ears. Also, it can affect either both your ears or just one. There are chances, though rare, that the condition will occur upon your first visit to a noisy construction site without protective gear. Otherwise, it mostly occurs after several times of exposure to noise pollution without ear defenders. Tell-tale signs vary from difficulty in hearing words to pain in the ears and a vertigo-like feeling. If you do experience such effects and signs, treat it as a wake-up call for you to visit an ear specialist. The worst part of this condition is that it has no cure and can only be controlled or managed.

It can affect your mental health

Yes, exposure to noise pollution doesn’t only affect the ears but also the brain. And this is why construction safety is key to preventing such occurrences. Mental health can be affected where a person gets depressed or stressed. This occurs due to working under high levels of noise pollution. It distracts you, as an employee, from the work you are doing and thus reduces productivity. When concentration levels go down, this can lead to depression through physical and emotional strain. Remember also that sleep will be affected in the long run as you will suffer from sleep deprivation and homesickness. Lack of sleep often results in constant fatigue, mood swings, dizziness, and occasionally, memory loss for some. It also makes one more vulnerable to diseases and injuries.

Affects cardiovascular functioning

In addition to the ears and brain, the heart may also end up at risk of being affected by high levels of noise pollution. The heart is affected when there is a sharp rise in the heart rate. This can lead to several other complications including hypertension and high blood pressure.

Conclusion

Based on the effects above, it is only wise to prevent them from occurring than going in for treatment after the damage has already happened. Thus, you should insist that your employer gives you a set of ear defenders if he or she has not done so yet. On the other hand, if you are an employer, you should protect your employees from the devastating effects of noise pollution. After all, if any injury occurs due to working on your site, you’re likely to be the one footing the medical bills and compensating the affected worker.