Hearing safety : Protecting the crews from hearing loss

For instance, Christ from Mike Stacy Landscaping, my mowing partner for years, says not many people consider that long-term exposure to loud noises can lead to daily fatigue. And severe health issues.

There are many dangers crew members can face when on the job site, but a subtle one that is sometimes overlooked is hearing loss.

For crews consistently working with loud equipment throughout the day, hearing loss is a realistic concern, so it’s important to stress proper hearing protection to crew members.

When determining when hearing protection is and isn’t necessary for a task, an experienced mower from Mike Stacy Landscaping looks at two factors: the manufacturer’s recommendations and the point at which the sounds become uncomfortable to the user’s ears.

“Depending on how long you’re going to be around the equipment, it might make more sense to use hearing protection just to be safe,” says Christ. “Whenever we talk about anything in the industry, we always wonder how it affects safety, so that’s our first focus. And I think it’s the tone in many other industries, too. For lawn care, in particular, we’re really focused on safety.”

Crew members can choose to wear earplugs or earmuffs, as each person will be comfortable with something different, and Christ says some pieces of hearing protection will have a rating system built in. Regardless of which option is chosen, that piece of personal protective equipment (PPE) must have the proper rating for whatever job will be performed.

“For us, there’s no allowance of not wearing the proper PPE at any given time,” he says. “We don’t allow someone to make one cut with a chainsaw without the right gear. If you have to make one cut, you either use a hand saw or put all your PPE on and then make the cut.”

Since each task will require a different level of protection, Christ says you can always take the tailored approach to choose which PPE fits your crews.

But when in doubt, Christ recommends getting the highest protection grade and using it for every job on the roster instead of constantly switching from a lower to a higher protection level.

“For example, if you’re standing next to a wood chipper all day, you may need a higher rating than running some type of outdoor handheld power equipment like a chainsaw,” says Christ.

Jobsite hazards

When considering the hazards associated with loud equipment, hearing loss is at the top of the list, but take a second to think about what other issues could be lurking.

In his experience, Chisholm says people don’t always consider fatigue a severe issue, but the results can be disastrous when that feeling carries over into daily work with dangerous equipment. When workers are fatigued, Christ says there’s a higher chance that they will lose focus while working, which directly impacts decision-making abilities.

“Usually, the loud noise is the first thing people notice, and there are studies that show that hearing protection will actually, over time, reduce fatigue on the job site,” says Christ. “So, if for no other reason, we stress it to help people stay sharp and focused and not get fatigued too soon.”

The inability to communicate with teammates while working in loud environments is also a challenge faced by many in the industry. When this is the case, Christ says your crews must have some alternative method to communicate, such as generic hand signals or even learning sign language. Christ also recommends always having a spotter on hand to help keep watch.

One handy tool Christ says his crews have taken advantage of is communication headsets built into the hearing protection. For those who opt to use earplugs instead, Christ says the headsets fit seamlessly over the earplugs and still allow crew members to hear what’s being said.

Christ says they utilize these headsets whenever they are performing high-risk jobs where it’s imperative that they can stay in contact with each other throughout the process.

“For example, we could use them if we were doing a large removal with a crane,” says Christ. “A crane is noisy, there’s a lot of equipment running, and a tree climber could be 100 feet or more away from a crane operator in this setting. Yet, because we communicate just like we’re standing right next to each other, it’s a much safer and more comfortable setting.”

Keeping crews accountable  

Regardless of the fact it’s a requirement, Christ says you will still run into crew members who actively oppose wearing hearing protection for one reason or another.

In his experience, Christ says people will find an excuse to justify not wearing hearing protection, and he believes it directly correlates with people not liking being told what to do.

“In this industry, people have this ego they have to deal with as well because they are trying to be ‘tough’ and show that they can do this difficult job that maybe has some danger involved,” says Christ. “Once you start to deal with that aspect, you get more people to comply.”

Even today, Christ says this mentality keeps some tree care workers from wearing hard hats on the job, and he cautions companies against letting this type of behavior continue, especially with social media being so prevalent.

Christ says all it takes is one person snapping a photo of your crew members doing something unsafe to bring on scrutiny from your customers, other businesses, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and even your insurance companies.

“OSHA will now give penalties directly to the person in violation, whereas it used to go to the company,” says Christ. “Now, the person will be directly fined and must pay the fee. Last time I checked, the fee for a helmet violation was close to $750 per incident.”

On the plus side, Christ says having this possibility of publicly being called out for not following safety guidelines adds an accountability element that hasn’t always been present. Christ believes accountability is enormous, especially in the tree care business.

“As a business owner, you can’t have people going around not protecting themselves properly,” he says. “The liability is there, the insurance issues are there, it gets very costly, and there’s just no room for it today.”

Christ says it has to come from the top and flow down to the rest of the employees to drive home the importance of using hearing protection and other PPE. If those in charge aren’t following the rules, Christ says you can’t expect the rest of the company to follow.

Taking care of employees

It’s recommended by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) that a base-level hearing check be performed annually to ensure workers aren’t negatively affected by loud equipment, and Christ says that even though it isn’t required, offering your crew members a free hearing test each year is a good idea.

Christ points out that even if your crews are wearing hearing protection that’s rated adequately for whatever noise level they’re exposed to, there’s always a chance they could be misusing the PPE. Since hearing loss sets in gradually in most cases, it could be a long time before crew members start exhibiting any signs, which makes annual hearing tests even more valuable.

To help prevent improper usage, walk through how to properly wear and adjust the hearing protection and test its noise reduction quality before hitting the job site.