There are over 1.64 million workers in the U.S. Food and Beverage Manufacturing industry, and all of their hearing is at risk of America's number one workplace disease: hearing loss. Workers in the food and beverage industry are twice as likely to suffer from hearing loss as compared to other industries, with only air transportation and primary metal manufacturing posing a greater risk to workers' hearing.
Within the food and beverage manufacturing industry, the highest rates of hearing loss among full-time employees were found in animal slaughter (excluding poultry) and beet sugar production. Frozen fruit, juice, and vegetable had the next highest rates of hearing loss, and sugar production and breakfast cereal manufacturing had the lowest rates.
Common sources of hazardous noise in the food and beverage manufacturing industry include everything from bottle filling and bread slicing, to canning, choppers, pneumatic noise, and blast-chillers.
Too much noise exposure leads to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), preventable, permanent hearing damage with a significant negative impact on workers' lives. And employers spend an average of 242 million annually in penalties for not properly protecting their workers' hearing. OSHA serves to help recognize and control the dangers of occupational noise exposure.
This infographic from Honeywell Howard Leight does an excellent job of illustrating the facts for employers in the food and beverage industry. Thanks to modern personal protective equipment, noise-induced hearing loss is entirely preventable with the proper implementation of safety solutions.
Various Types of Protection:
- Metal Detectable Disposable Earplugs
- Metal Detectable Resuable Earplugs
- Visually-Detectable Corded Earplugs
The food and beverage manufacturing industry is a particularly hazardous one when it comes to workers' hearing. But with proper safety equipment, workers can stay well-protected from NIHL on the job, even in these highly demanding environments.
Until next time, be safe and do the right thing.
Tom Bergman, Vice President
Ear Plug Superstore
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