in the 21stcentury

Published Friday August 17, 2012

Proudly supporting Hearing Awareness Week

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By Dr Barry ChessonPresident, Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists

This special liftout has been developed as a joint initiative of the Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienists (AIOH) and The West Australian.

AIOH is the professional body representing 1100 members nationwide who strive to deliver a healthy workplace.

Occupational hygienists have a strong interest in the management of noise because of its pervasive and impactful nature and because it is present in almost all industrial workplaces.

The liftout is intended to lend support for the activities that will take place in the coming days as part of National Hearing Awareness Week, running from August 19 to 25, 2012.

This year’s theme is ‘hearing loss affects everyone’. So, what does this statement mean?

While there are four million Australians who suffer from signifi cant hearing loss, there are many others in the form of workmates, family, friends and casual acquaintances who are impacted in their dealings with those individuals. Communication diffi culties may give rise to breakdown in relationships, mistakes, annoyance and frustration and safety issues at work or home.

So, hearing loss affects everyone and hearing loss is everyone’s business.

The articles which follow have been prepared by experts in their respective areas, drawn mainly from occupational hygiene, audiology, science and engineering. The intention is to cover the recognition, evaluation and control elements of noise management – the impact of noise on hearing, the measurement and assessment of noise levels and hearing loss – and importantly the solutions available in today’s world.

IntroductionIntroduction to noiseto noise

2

Those rules alone would make most of us

act carefully in our timing and amount of the

withdrawals, to ensure the funds would last

throughout our lifetime.

That one-way bank account describes our

sense of hearing. We are born with about

30,000 receptor cells whose job it is to

convert acoustic waves, transformed into

hydraulic waves and into electrical impulses

that are sent to the brain. The brain then

interprets these electrical impulses as

meaningful sound: a knock on the door, a

warning signal, a conversation or music.

Once a receptor cell is irreparably damaged,

it is gone forever. There is no surgery,

medication or therapy that restores the

receptor cells of human hearing.

Since we are born with tens of thousands of

these cells, it is hardly noticeable if we lose a

few dozen. But if we lose a few dozen every

day – perhaps on-the-job or due to noisy

hobbies – then it catches up on us.

Our hearing is impaired and there is nothing

we can do to make a deposit back into that

good hearing account; we have permanent

hearing loss.

Withdrawals from our account of receptor

cells occur naturally due to ageing and there

is little we can do to slow that process,

but we lose our hearing much more and

much faster due to hazardous noise. In

many ways, loud noise robs our account of

receptor cells prematurely, leaving us unable

to hear words clearly.

What is our best defence from premature

hearing loss?

Protect the hearing from hazardous noise!

Don’t let your account of receptor cells be

robbed by noisy work or hobbies.

Imagine a bank account, credited with an initial sum of money intended to last throughout your lifetime, but this bank account is different: it is a one-way account. You can withdraw money, but you cannot make deposits.

By Brad WittDirector, Hearing Conservation, Honeywell Safety Products

Hearing: the one-way bank accountHearing: the one-way bank account

Once a receptor cell is irreparably damaged, it is gone forever. There is no surgery, medication or therapy that restores the receptor cells of human hearing.

Editor: Kim Cousins Design: Michelle Nunn Advertising: Eithne Healy 9482 9040, Rajesh Kulkarni 9482 3567

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As Chief Scientist of Western Australia and

a board member of the Ear Science Institute

of Australia, I am delighted to be part of the

Managing Noise liftout.

My research career has centered on the

development and repair of sensory systems.

Just as staring at the sun permanently

destroys those cells in the eye that detect

light; with hearing, excessive noise is a

destroyer.

The precious and highly specialised cells of

the ear (termed hair cells) are under attack

from excessively loud noise and we do not

know how to replace them – once lost, they

are never replaced.

Unlike bright sunlight, from which we

naturally turn away, loud noise is more

insidious – the damage is sometimes done

without us even realising it.

There are other causes of hearing loss too,

such as ear infections that can rupture

the eardrum or block the tiny bones that

transmit the sound waves to fl uid fi lled

cochlea that contains the hair cells.

To avoid hearing loss, we should be

protecting our ears from loud sounds and

seeing a doctor to stop infections. Hearing

aids and cochlea implants can help, but

prevention is a much better philosophy.

In Australia, one in six people are affected by

hearing loss. With an ageing population, this

fi gure is projected to increase to a quarter of

all Australians by 2050.

The cost of hearing loss is not only a

personal tragedy; it costs the nation a

staggering $11.75 billion each year – 1.4 per

cent of Australia’s gross domestic product.

Enjoy reading this liftout – let’s hope we all

heed its messages.

Hearing is so important. It links us to other people – without it we face the prospect of social isolation. Particularly in the young, normal hearing is crucial to learning how to speak, how to interact with others and for those key lessons at school.

By Professor Lyn BeazleyChief Scientist of Western Australia

Hearing – it’s importantHearing – it’s important In Australia, one in six people are aff ected by hearing loss. With an ageing population, this fi gure is projected to increase to a quarter of all Australians by 2050.

Big thanks for this cartoon by Dean Alston

4

In recent decades, the dangers of workplace noise exposure have been well-documented and employers have taken precautionary steps.

By Brad WittDirector, Hearing Conservation, Honeywell Safety Products

Many factors affect the chance of getting a

permanent hearing impairment and like the

lottery, are out of our control.

When we are born, we are dealt a genetic

hand of cards that will play throughout the

course of our lives. It’s true some people

are more predisposed to develop hearing

loss than others even in the exact same

environmental circumstances.

People age at different rates and in different

ways. The bald fi fty-year-old on the bus

admires the full head of hair on a man of the

same age and that man in turn envies the

bald man who can stand on the swaying

bus without arthritis pain.

Ageing, illnesses, infection and arthritic

changes can all impact on hearing; although

they often make a much smaller impact

than hearing damaged by noise.

Another example of people’s genetic

differences comes from the charts in the

back of the Codes of Practice relating

to noise in the workplace. They give a

probability of the percentage of workers

likely to sustain noise-induced hearing loss

if exposed to a particular volume of noise.

Worryingly, there are a percentage of noise-

exposed workers who will sustain hearing

loss even if they are exposed to noise

below that which the law states to be the

safe limit.

Some workplaces are now setting their own

maximum acceptable noise limits three to

fi ve decibels (dB) below that mandated by

law.

While our genetic odds may be excellent,

we can ruin those good chances easily by

exposing ourselves to noise. Unlike the

division one prize, in the deafness lottery

you won’t be celebrating if your numbers

come up.

Have you ever taken notice of the odds of striking it rich in the lottery? There are more chances of being struck by lightning, not once, but twice, than winning the big prize. Unfortunately, the odds in the deafness lottery are much better for ‘striking at pitch’ rather than ‘striking it rich’.

By Benjamin Elsey Clinical Director, Hearing Conservation Australia

DeafnessDeafness lotterylottery

Many Australian young adult Australians discover too late that the effects of noisy leisure activities include permanent hearing loss and ringing in the ears.

But can we lose hearing from common off-the-job noise exposures, like an evening at a nightclub? According to a recent study by the Australian National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL), the answer is a deafening yes.

In the NAL study*, an online survey of 1000 young adults between the ages of 18 and 35 was used to assess attitudes toward hearing loss and prevalence of noisy leisure activities. This was coupled with dozens of sample noise measurements taken during common off-the-job activities, such as a concert, a fi tness class or an evening at a pub or nightclub.

Those noise measurements were then compared to a typical noisy day on the job: eight hours of noise at an average noise level of 85 decibels (dB) (enough noise to damage hearing).

The table below shows how one hour of each leisure activity compares to a typical noisy day on the job:

So just one hour at the nightclub was found to be equivalent to two days of hearing risk on a noisy job.

The number of young adults exposed to the hazardous noise from leisure activities was especially alarming.

The online survey showed 13 per cent of the responding young adults reported exposure to leisure noise higher than the yearly acceptable noise dose for on-the-job noise exposures and 6 per cent of the respondents had noise exposures greater than two years of on-the-job noise.

In addition, many respondents reported higher incidence of tinnitus, the tell-tale ringing in the ears that often accompanies noise-induced hearing loss.

The authors of the study concluded many young adults are aware of the risks of hearing loss due to leisure activities, but that awareness often does not translate into preventive action.

Many Australian young adult Australians discover too late that the effects of noisy leisure activities include permanent hearing loss and ringing in the ears.

*Presented jointly by the Australian National Acoustic Laboratories and The HEARing CRC at the 2012 conference of National Hearing Conservation Association.

Leisure activity

(per hour)

Noisy job

(per day)

Concert or live music venue

0.63

Sporting event 0.80

Fitness class 0.16

Pub, bar or registered club

0.1

Nightclub 2.0

One hour in a nightclub equals twoOne hour in a nightclub equals two days on a noisy jobdays on a noisy job

55

The newly completed Centre for Ear,

Nose and Throat Education and Research

(CENTER) was offi cially opened by His

Excellency Mr Malcolm McCusker, Governor

of Western Australia, on Thursday June 7.

Trainees at CENTER will have access to

world-class training equipment and facilities,

including a high-tech computer-based

otoscopy training and simulation system

being introduced to WA for the fi rst time.

The OtoSim system, developed by leading

Canadian otolaryngologists and launched

last year, uses a number of stand-alone

simulation units controlled by a trainer and

has been shown to improve diagnostic

accuracy by 44 per cent. CENTER has six

OtoSim units, providing trainees with the

opportunity to master clinical and procedural

skills in a training environment before moving

to a clinical setting.

ESIA Director and UWA Professor Marcus

Atlas said CENTER would form a key plank

in WA’s growing international reputation as

a centre for excellence in medical training,

adding to an established array of impressive

facilities in the state.

CENTER – the development of which been

led by ESIA in partnership with St John of

God Health Care, the Ear Sciences Centre

UWA and the University of Notre Dame

Australia – will also provide much-needed

dedicated specialist ENT and head and neck

training facilities.

The importance of CENTER was recognised

with a $2.745 million Federal Government

grant for the construction and fi t-out of

the facility, made through the Department

of Health and Ageing’s Innovative Clinical

Teaching and Training Grants program.

In addition to OtoSim, the state-of-the-art

facilities and equipment at CENTER include:

• SIM Man – a computer-controlled high

fi delity patient simulator

• immersive virtual reality team-based training

software

• a fully interactive high-defi nition audiovisual

and video conferencing link between ESIA,

UNDA and SJOGH; and

• an interactive video wall.

“We are delighted to offi cially open the doors

to what is set to become one of the world’s

most innovative and specialised training

facilities, and it’s particularly wonderful

to have it opened by His Excellency The

Governor given the McCusker family has

been a signifi cant supporter of ESIA over the

years,” Professor Atlas said.

Perth has cemented its reputation as a regional leader in specialist medical training, with the opening of a multimillion dollar state-of-the-art ear, nose and throat training and skills development centre at the Ear Science Institute Australia (ESIA) facility in Subiaco.

Dr Brett RobertsonGeneral Manager, Ear Science Institute Australia

Leadership in medical educationLeadership in medical education

We are delighted to offi cially open the doors to what is set to become one of the world’s most innovative and specialised training facilities.

3M proudly sponsors Hear2Day, the WA-based noise awareness program for school aged children.

Visit: www.hear2day.com.au

3M provides innovative solutions and products that support Occupational Hygienists in making Australian workplaces safer.

See our hearing protection and communication solutions at:

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6

Much is known and documented about

noise and its effect on hearing. However,

one area not as well-known is the effect

some chemicals have on hearing, especially

when combined with noise exposure.

In some workplaces, there are certain

chemicals that are considered ototoxic –

meaning toxic to hearing.

Chemicals that can enter and circulate

around the body in the bloodstream pose a

signifi cant danger. As the hearing organ (the

cochlear) has a rich network of fi ne blood

vessels, these damaging chemicals can

infi ltrate the blood stream and can cause

damage to the ear.

Some of the most common workplace

chemicals that fall into this category include

toluene, xylene, organic lead and fuels like

diesel and kerosene. The body absorbs

these if they come into contact with the

skin. Other ototoxins, such as solvents,

manganese, arsenic, styrene and white

spirits are absorbed into the bloodstream

after they are inhaled into the lungs.

Another well-known ototoxin is carbon

monoxide. Many workplaces consider

people who are working in proximity to

engine exhausts for this risk and manage

accordingly. However, many fail to consider

whether a worker is a smoker. The act of

smoking produces high levels of carbon

monoxide in the bloodstream, so places a

smoker exposed to noise at a greater risk of

sustaining noise-induced hearing loss than a

non-smoker.

The Codes of Practice relating to noise

provide advice about safe levels and the

reduction of noise exposure required to keep

ototoxin-exposed workers safe from the

combined effect of chemicals and noise.

It is also highly advisable to test the hearing

of these workers more often to ensure the

measures put in place are adequate to deal

with these ototoxic agents.

Industrial workplaces produce many different products depending on their industry, but as well as these products, most of them also make noise.

By Benjamin ElseyClinical Director, Hearing Conservation Australia

Worksites such as refi neries, mines or oil

and gas production platforms are either very

large in size, or compressed into relatively

small areas with a high density of complex

industrial plant and processes.

The number of employees working on

each site is often high and the nature of

their jobs can be highly varied in the tasks

performed and the location at which they

are undertaken.

It is imperative to know how and where to

direct noise measurement efforts. The key to

developing an effective noise management

plan is to divide worksite and employee

groups as simply as possible with respect to

noise exposure.

When undertaking surveys, it is important

to understand how, where and what

operators do within each area and measure

accordingly.

Dividing a large number of employees into

defi ned work groups further manages the

size of the task.

Should certain individuals within exposure

groups undertake additional activities from

the remainder of the exposure group, these

individuals should be assigned to their own

exposure group(s).

This strategy allows the decisions of where,

and what to measure to become much more

representative. In turn, the analysis of your

results also becomes easier.

By determining how much time each

exposure group spends in each work area

or specifi c task and applying this to the area

or task noise level, it is possible to estimate

the noise exposure levels for those groups.

For the highest risk or where borderline

exposure around the regulatory criteria is

apparent, the use of noise dosimetry can

validate your results and may assist in

identifying specifi c noise risk activities or

locations over a total shift exposure.

This approach allows a noise management

plan to be a continuous, fl uid method

of assessing and controlling your noise

exposure risk.

The areas on your worksite with the highest

noise levels are not necessarily providing the

highest levels of exposure risk. By attributing

noise exposure risk to specifi c jobs or work

tasks, it is easier to identify which areas or

tasks of the worksite are generating the

highest exposure risk. Such areas or tasks

can then be investigated in more detail to

determine the feasibility of noise control

methods.

This approach can provide the most

effective and effi cient use of your noise

management budget to reduce your noise

exposure risk to as low as practicable.

For a complex work environment, determining workplace noise exposure risk can be highly challenging.

By Richard Pamley Principal Acoustics and Philip Lancaster, Principal Health Safety from SLR Consulting (Australia) Pty Ltd

Can you smell that?Can you smell that? I think I’m going deaf!I think I’m going deaf!

Measurement ofMeasurement of occupational noiseoccupational noise

This approach allows a noise management plan to be a continuous, fl uid method of assessing and controlling your noise exposure risk.

7

It is not a disease that can make hearing worse, but a condition that can result from many underlying causes. These include ear infections and other ear diseases, certain medications and wax build-up in the ear canal. However, the most common cause of tinnitus is exposure to loud sounds.

The prevalence of tinnitus increases with age and fortunately most people with tinnitus are able to manage it with simple strategies. Others, however, fi nd it impacts on many aspects of their day-to-day life and need to seek help from ear, nose and throat specialists and audiologists.

Tinnitus resulting from noise damage is often accompanied by temporary or permanent hearing loss. A common experience is a hearing loss and tinnitus that occurs after attending a loud concert, which disappears after a few hours.

Although symptoms may be alleviated, the hearing organ may have been left with

permanent damage that is not clinically apparent in the early stages.

There are no cures in most cases of severe tinnitus, however, there are many treatments that can help.

People who have hearing loss in addition to tinnitus often fi nd relief from hearing aids, which mask the tinnitus by amplifying the environmental sounds. People who have normal hearing and bothersome tinnitus often benefi t from sound enrichment strategies aimed at taking the listener’s focus of attention away from tinnitus and onto a more pleasant sound. Over time, they fi nd they don’t need the additional sound as the tinnitus is no longer bothersome.

The best way to prevent permanent severe tinnitus is to minimise your exposure to loud sounds through using good hearing protection. This should be used for both occupational noise at work and recreational noise in loud music venues, shooting and noisy power machinery.

Tinnitus is the perception of sound in the ears or head. The type of sound is different from person to person and it may be continuous or intermittent.

By Dr Helen GouliosClinical Coordinator, Master of Clinical Audiology Course, University of Western Australia

Can tinnitus harm hearing?Can tinnitus harm hearing?

Although symptoms may be alleviated, the hearing organ may have been left with permanent damage that is not clinically apparent in the early stages.

8

Music has an uncanny effect of increasing

one’s motivation and stamina to exercise.

Often, listening to upbeat and loud music

may tide us through a tough workout.

However, in light of ear health, the volume

which we are listening to should be taken

into consideration.

Earbud headphones, which are inserted

directly into the ear canal, have the

potential to boost the transmitted sound

signal by as much as six to nine decibels

(dB).

By far, the biggest mistake people make

when listening to personal music players

while exercising is trying to drown out other

sounds around them.

It is far easier to get into the zone when you

can’t hear the slapping of your feet on the

treadmill, the banter of the other gym folk,

or the music the gym is playing that is not

to your taste.

However, this is volume far above that

which your hearing can cope with. In

fact, you should be able to hear someone

speaking at a normal volume if they are

about one metre away from you.

Your music is almost defi nitely too loud

if they need to shout or wave at you to

attract your attention.

To reduce the chances of preventable

hearing loss, the 60 per cent, 60 minute

rule may be adopted. It has been

recommended that iPods or other mp3

players should not be used for more than

60 minutes a day, with the volume set at

below 60 per cent of the maximum level.

This should ensure your hearing does

not become the pawn of otherwise good

health.

You are at the gym, your heart is racing and adrenaline is pumping to the music blaring through your earphones.

By Benjamin ElseyClinical Director, Hearing Conservation Australia

Turn those earphones down!Turn those earphones down!

The universal unit of sound measurement

is the decibel (dB). So, hearing ability and

hearing loss are also measured in dB. When

assessing hearing loss, it is rarely expressed

as a percentage.

Hearing loss is only usefully expressed as a

percentage associated with compensation

claims. This percentage of impairment is

converted from the actual hearing loss (in

dB), by using a formula set by the National

Acoustics Laboratory. This is converted

to a Whole Person Physical Impairment

Percentage (WPPIP), which is then converted

to a dollar fi gure.

More importantly, it is impossible for

a clinician to work backwards from a

percentage – or dollar amount – to calculate

the actual hearing impairment.

Clinicians assess hearing impairment by

testing the quietest sound possible that an

individual can hear. This is called threshold

testing and is tested by having the person

listening to pure tones through headphones,

as well as a similar test called bone

conduction testing.

Assessing someone’s hearing includes

impedance testing and speech discrimination

– which refers to the person’s ability to

understand conversation in the presence of

some distraction and background noise. Only

then do doctors know the amount, cause

and impact of the hearing loss.

When it comes to answering the question of

how hearing loss is measured, it’s always in

dB.

As to how the hearing loss is assessed, the

answer depends on whether the person

asking the question is wearing a white coat

or a white wig.

When talking about hearing loss, sometimes the message can get lost in translation.

By Benjamin ElseyClinical Director, Hearing Conservation Australia

Speaking the languageSpeaking the language of hearing lossof hearing loss

Assessing someone’s hearing includes impedance testing and speech discrimination - which refers to the person’s ability to understand conversation in the presence of some distraction and background noise.

9Hearing protection is the only product category in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that has historically delivered a solution that restricts a worker’s ability to use the sense that it is meant to be protecting.

By David Cannington Chief Marketing Offi cer, Sensear

Imagine if eye protection involved wearing

blacked-out protective glasses that didn’t

allow you to see. Not only does it not make

sense, we know that no worker would wear

them.

For too long, the hearing protection industry

has been offering passive hearing protection

solutions that reduce the ability of the

worker to hear.

The result is that many workers remove

the hearing protection provided to them

because they want to communicate with

their fellow workers or be more aware of

their surroundings for safety and productivity

reasons.

New Digital Signal Processing (DSP)

technology embedded in smart hearing

devices has come a long way in the last

fi ve years to address this dilemma and is

changing the way companies approach

hearing protection.

This technology will fundamentally change

the hearing protection industry just as the

change from computers did to typewriters,

or smart phones are doing to cell phones.

Embedded with sophisticated hardware

and software, these smart hearing devices

can now separate human speech from

background noise, provide situational

awareness and protect users from hearing

loss all at the same time.

They also deliver total connectivity by

syncing to Bluetooth devices such as smart

phones, tablets and rugged cell phones and

connecting to two-way radios and other

communication systems in the workplace.

At the forefront of this revolution is

Australian-born Sensear. With technology

developed in Perth, Sensear is delivering

a range of hearing protection devices

that are powered by its patented Speech

Enhancement, Noise Suppression (SENS)

technology that simultaneously separates

speech from background noise while

allowing workers to enjoy situational

awareness.

Sensear’s technology is being used by

Fortune 500 companies around the globe

who believe that enabling workers to hear

is not only critical to hearing protection

effectiveness, but to the productivity of a

high-noise work environment.

This new technology has the potential to

change the way workers communicate

in high-noise environments and as the

technology becomes smarter and more

effi cient, more companies will be turning to

these digital devices to solve their hearing

protection needs.

To protect is to hearTo protect is to hear

This technology will fundamentally change the hearing protection industry just as the change from computers did to typewriters, or smart phones are doing to cell phones.

SLR’s acoustics team offers a broad range of services

and a wealth of experience in acoustic matters

and can be employed in a variety of ways, from the

provision of simple advice or undertaking discrete

assessments, to carrying out full impact assessments

or providing expert witness evidence.

Our experienced team of over 60 acousticians can

provide specialist advice on the following:

• Mining Noise & Vibration

• Occupational Hygiene

• Industrial Acoustics

• Rail Acoustics

• Road Acoustics

• Building Acoustics

• Bridge Dynamics

• Ecoacoustics

• Transportation Vibration Assessment and Control

• Defence Noise & Vibration

• Aircraft and Helicopter Acoustics

• Structural Dynamics

Andrew Boladz Perth Offi ce Manager

125 Edward Street,PERTH 6000

aboladz@slrconsulting.com

9370 0100

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Ear Science Institute Australia

Hearing Awareness Week Free Seminars 20 - 25 August 2012

Free Hearing

Screenings

Invisible Hearing Aids20 Aug 4-5pm & 22 Aug 6-7pm (Subiaco)Have you been putting off getting hearing aids because of the way they look? Hear a detailed review of three new invisible devices now available from leading manufacturers.

Free Hearing Aids for Pensioners20 Aug 12.30-2pm (Subiaco)21 Aug 2.30-3.30pm (Willetton)23 Aug 2.30-3.30pm (Joondalup) Information about eligibility for free services and hearing aids via the government OHS system.

Advances in Hearing Aid Technology20 Aug 6-7pm & 21 Aug 4-5pm (Subiaco)21 Aug 4-5pm (Willetton) 23 Aug 4-5pm (Joondalup)Learn about modern advances in hearing aid technology and how they perform.

Understanding Tinnitus 20 Aug 2.30-3.30pm, 21 Aug 6-7pm 23 Aug 4-5pm (Subiaco)21 Aug 6-7pm (Willetton) 23 Aug 6-7pm (Joondalup) Learn about tinnitus, its effects and ways to cope and manage the condition.

Living with Severe Hearing Loss – Patients’ Perspectives22 Aug 11am-12pm (Subiaco)Listen to patients’ experiences of severe hearing loss and gaining access to sound again through a cochlear implant.

Everyday Communication Strategies 21 Aug 11am-12pm, 22 Aug 2.30-3.30pm & 23 Aug 11am-12pm (Subiaco)A fun and interactive session for those with hearing loss and their families and carers.

Unlocking the Secrets of the Balance System21 Aug 2.30-3.30pm & 22 Aug 4-5pm (Subiaco) An introduction to the balance system, disorders that cause dizziness and where to go for help.

MP3 Players and Hearing Loss – Protecting our Children’s Hearing25 Aug 11am-12pm (Subiaco)A fun and interactive session for parents and their children (10-12 year olds) about noise induced hearing loss, how to enjoy using MP3 players safely and protect their hearing.

ESIA Research – Extending the Boundaries of Hearing Health Care23 Aug 6-7pm (Subiaco)Join ESIA’s researchers for a fascinating journey into the ground breaking research work of the Institute.

Assistive Listening Devices 21 Aug 12.30-2pm & 23 Aug 12.30-2pm (Subiaco)Learn about alternative hearing devices that can be used in social situations and around the home.

Single Sided Deafness 23 Aug 2.30-3.30pm (Subiaco) Learn about the Bone Anchored Hearing Aid and try it out for yourself.

Resources for the Hearing Impaired20 Aug 11am-12pm (Subiaco)Hear from CICADA, Senses, Better Hearing Australia and the National Relay Service about their services and how to access them.

An Introduction to Sign Language 22 Aug 12.30-2pm (Subiaco)Better Hearing Australia introduces Auslan, its fundamental principles, some basic signs and fi nger spelling.

Seminars to be held at:

Subiaco: Ear Science Institute Australia, Level 2, 1 Salvado Rd, SubiacoJoondalup: Lions Hearing Clinic, Unit 10, 189 Lakeside Drive, Cnr Reid Prom, JoondalupWilletton: Bullcreek Church of Christ, 55 Agincourt Drive, Willetton

For more information visit www.earscience.org.au

Call Sandra Nair on 6380 4900 or email sandra.nair@earscience.org.au for all bookings.

10

Although more commonly known as an ear

infection, otitis media is the proper term used

to describe an infl amed middle ear. Otitis

refers to the infl ammation of the ear, while

media denotes middle.

A tube called the Eustachian tube connects

the back of the throat with the middle ear. In

young children, this tube is much shorter.

This makes it far easier for viral or bacterial

infections which cause sore throats, colds or

other upper respiratory problems to climb the

Eustachian tube and enter the middle ear.

Otitis media is associated with health issues,

such as conjunctivitis, disturbed sleep,

a change in taste sensations, allergies

or complaints of fullness in the ear. This

condition is very prevalent in young children

and, more importantly, can cause varying

degrees of temporary hearing loss until the

infection subsides.

As otitis media usually occurs during the fi rst

18 months to three years of life, it coincides

with the years that are critical to speech and

language development.

Children learn through hearing and mimicking

the speech sounds and language used by

others. A child who gets frequent episodes of

otitis media will experience periodic hearing

loss. This inevitably places them at risk of

speech and language developmental delays.

A child who has persistent otitis media may

require a longer period of time to understand

instructions, or have poor speech production.

They may also display inattentiveness or an

inability to detect where a sound is coming

from.

Otitis media and related hearing loss can be

diagnosed by an audiologist. For children

with frequent bouts of otitus media, the

child’s general practitioner and ear nose and

throat specialist may consider grommets

to reduce the fl uid build-up and hence the

conductive hearing loss experienced during

the course of the ear infections.

Children with persistent otitis media may

also be referred to a speech pathologist for

early intervention services to ensure that their

speech and language developmental needs

are been met.

Have you ever noticed abnormal redness of your child’s ear or exhibiting signs of dizziness, pain or a loss of balance following a bout of cold or fl u?

By Benjamin ElseyClinical Director, Hearing Conservation Australia

Worrying signsWorrying signs

A child who has persistent otitis media may require a longer period of time to understand instructions, or have poor speech production. They may also display inattentiveness or an inability to detect where a sound is coming from.

11

Myth 1: The ears grow accustomed to

loud noise.

Response: The ears cannot grow

accustomed to loud noise… you don’t

get used to it.

Some people have the mistaken impression

their ears toughen up and grow accustomed

to loud noise over time. In reality, the

ears have no mechanism for growing

accustomed to noise. A person who claims

their ears have ‘toughened up’ most likely

has lost some hearing over time.

Myth 2: The fi rst thing that happens is

loss of volume.

Response: The fi rst symptom of noise-

induced hearing loss is not loss of

volume… it is loss of clarity.

The most common complaint of those who

have lost hearing due to loud noise is: “I can

hear you, but I just can’t understand.” Noise

damages our ability to hear speech and

conversation clearly.

Myth 3: In hearing protection, bigger is

better.

Response: In hearing protection, bigger

is not necessarily better.

Some people have the mistaken belief that

because earmuffs are bigger than earplugs,

they must block more noise. In hearing

protection, the seal of the ear canal is more

critical than the size of the protector. A well-

fi tted foam earplug blocks more noise than a

typical earmuff.

Myth 4: Halfway in is halfway there.

Response: An earplug inserted

only halfway does not offer half the

protection.

In order to better hear co-workers or

warning signals, some wearers insert the

earplugs only halfway believing they will

still get half the protection. But in hearing

protection, fi t is often all or nothing. Even

a small break in the acoustic seal of an

earplug will cause the wearer to achieve

little or no protection.

Myth 5: For earplugs, one size fi ts all.

Response: There is no such thing as a

one-size-fi ts-all earplug.

Ear canals come in different sizes and there

is no such thing as an earplug that can

fi t everybody – even an expandable foam

earplug. For example, women typically

have smaller ear canals and have a diffi cult

time achieving a good fi t with a large foam

earplug. Manufacturers offer earplugs in

different sizes to help users achieve the

optimal fi t.

Myth 6: Hearing aids will restore normal

hearing.

Response: Hearing aids do not restore

normal hearing.

Some noise-exposed workers ignore the

dangers of loud noise by rationalising they

can simply get a hearing aid later. While

hearing aids do help, they certainly do not

restore normal hearing. Even with the benefi t

of a hearing aid, speech and conversation

can sound distorted, especially in the

presence of background noise.

Test your knowledge about how best to protect your hearing as we bust some common myths.

By Brad WittDirector, Hearing Conservation, Honeywell Safety Products

Their improved performance includes better

fi delity with the ability to amplify a wider

range of frequencies with lower distortion.

Almost all hearing aids fi tted today are digital

devices, with even the most simple systems

containing miniature computer chips which

process incoming sounds. Most of this

processing aims to make speech clear and

comfortable for the listener.

Recent advances in technology include

adaptive directional microphones where

a hearing aid microphone changes its

sensitivity depending on the listening

environment. For example, in a quiet room,

the microphone is equally sensitive to sounds

coming from all directions. Whereas, if a

listener is trying to have a conversation in

a noisy coffee shop, the microphone will

adapt so it is most sensitive to the voice of

a speaker sitting close to the hearing aid

wearer and less sensitive to non-speech

sounds.

Adaptive microphones becomes less

effective when the background noise includes

unwanted speech and the hearing aid is left

to try to work out which conversation the

listener wants to hear and which needs to

be reduced. Even so, current hearing aids

are much more comfortable to use in noisy

situations than analog predecessors.

Bluetooth technology is another feature

increasingly used in hearing aids. Current

devices have wireless communication

with Bluetooth streaming devices that can

be paired to Bluetooth mobile phones,

laptops or music players. This offers a major

improvement for the listener who can pick up

the signal in both ears with a reduction in the

background noise. For example, a listener’s

mobile phone can be in another room and

the listener will be able to answer their call via

their streaming device and have a hands-free

conversation.

Hearing aids small in size have always been

a major desire for most listeners. Although

this feature doesn’t make a hearing aid

smarter, it does offer greater convenience.

Recent devices are so small they can be

inserted deep into the ear canal and worn

continuously for months at a time without the

need to change a battery.

Not all features are suitable for everyone.

However, there is a wide range of hearing aid

styles and processing systems from which

a listener can choose. Which device is best

depends on the severity and type of hearing

impairment, the different listening situations

experienced by the listener and the anatomy

and size of an individual’s ears.

Electronic hearing aids have been worn for more than 100 years and during this time they have become increasingly smaller and smarter.

By Dr Helen GouliosClinical Coordinator, Master of Clinical Audiology Course, University of Western Australia

How intelligent are hearing aids?How intelligent are hearing aids?

Recent devices are so small they can be inserted deep into the ear canal and worn continuously for months at a time without the need to change a battery.

Busting common myths aboutBusting common myths about hearing protectionhearing protection

These are no ordinary headsets. They are Sensear high noise communication devices powered by SENS™ technology (speech enhancement, noise suppression) which isolates and enhances speech while suppressing background noise so workers can hear speech and stay protected in high noise environments.

Founded in Perth in 2006, Sensear has embedded its ground breaking SENS™ technology into a range of devices that deliver an effective way to reduce the cost of noise for many of the world’s leading industrial companies.

By enabling more effi cient communication in high noise, Sensear is enhancing clients’ productivity. In addressing the major reasons why workers remove their hearing protection, Sensear also delivers a more effective hearing protection solution with increased worker adoption. And because Sensear products enable workers to hear what’s going on around them while staying protected, they mitigate the risk of accidents and fatalities.

Sensear delivers an easy to adopt noise management solution for corporations where noise is a major workplace issue.

Meet the World’s Smartest Noise Management Team

www.sensear.com 1 300 859 120

d bti d i SENNS ( h h™ t h l ( thi h

AWARENESS COMMUNICATION PROTECTION. .

1212

The reality is effective noise management

is somewhere in between. Despite major

developments in electronic equipment to

measure noise, managing noise hazards still

requires technical skill to understand noise

refl ection and refraction patterns, frequency

dependency on hearing loss, characteristics

of different absorbent materials and hearing

protection factors. When technical excellence

is coupled with clear communication,

practical and easy to understand solutions to

noise management follow suit.

Effective communication is as simple as ABC:

accuracy, brevity and clarity.

The consequences of workplace noise and

the practical solutions to control it should be

communicated in plain language, keeping it

direct and simple.

Experts in noise management should be the

ones to worry about the technicalities and

should demystify the scientifi c jargon for

clients by using straightforward language that

can be easily understood by anyone who is

not a noise engineer.

Factors that should be considered in any

noise solution include technology, cost,

location and workforce skill. Solutions to

control noise within the workplace or the

wider environment are often cost-effective

and easily implemented.

Simple solutions to manage noise could

include seals and closers on doors and

windows, soft furnishings, rubber mats

on hard surface fl oors, added insulation

(including fi tting of noise absorbent ceiling

tiles) and teaching people how to wear

hearing protection correctly.

Managing noise in the workplace or the wider environment is often steeped in mysterious symbols, equations and acronyms, or dismissed as simple to manage – “if it’s too loud to talk then it’s too loud – wear earplugs”.

By Paul FoleyWHS Principal, Coffey Environments

Effective noise managementEffective noise management

Experts in noise management should be the ones to worry about the technicalities and should demystify the scientifi c jargon for clients by using straightforward language that can be easily understood by anyone.

13

Aural rehabilitation is the process of

facilitating better hearing through use of

devices, education and listening training.

Depending on the type of hearing diffi culties

and the root cause you are experiencing,

rehabilitation programs can involve:

• Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs), such

as headphones for hearing the television,

can be used with or without hearing aids.

These devices provide extra help in specifi c

listening situations, such as listening over

the telephone or in small or large group

listening settings.

• Hearing strategies are methods people

can use to increase their understanding

of speech. Many people whose hearing is

fading but do not yet require amplifi cation

can obtain genuine benefi t from basic

tactics, while for people with poor hearing,

well-developed tactics are almost essential.

• Hearing aids. The defi ning feature of

modern types of hearing aids is they are

usually digital, personal amplifi ers worn at

ear level. Every hearing loss is different and

people react to sound in different ways.

Modern hearing aids can be tuned for each

specifi c person far more accurately than

other devices, giving a custom fi t for each

person. When discussing amplifi cation

options with your audiologist, keep in

mind hearing aids come in a wide range

of brands, size, power, style, colour and

technology levels There are also a range of

accessories available to support specifi c

listening needs. Your audiologist will step

through all the options with you.

• If hearing aids and ALDs seem to be

insuffi cient, implantable devices may be an

option. The past three decades have seen

the development of implantable hearing

devices progress from a medical and

engineering challenge to a proven clinical

solution that has reconnected thousands

of people with a hearing impairment to the

world of sound.

It is also important to learn how to get

the very best from each solution. It is not

uncommon for a single person to use more

than one method. Ask your audiologist about

ways to get the most out of your hearing.

Acknowledging the impact of living with hearing loss can be the hardest part of the journey. It takes the average person between six to 10 years to come to terms with their hearing loss and reach the point at which they seek and accept help.

By Bec BennettManager of Audiological Services, Ear Science Institute Australia/Lions Hearing Clinic

Hearing loss – where to next?Hearing loss – where to next?

Did you know...Did you know...The smallest bone in the human body is the stirrup bone (the stapes), one of three tiny bones that make up the middle ear. These take the sound vibrations that enter the outer ear, concentrate and intensify them, before directing them to the inner ear (cochlear).

Australian Institute of Occupational Hygienistswww.aioh.org.au

Striving for a healthy workplace

Occupational HygieneThe art and science dedicated to the anticipation, recognition, evaluation,

communication and control of environmental stressors arising from the

workplace that may result in injury, illness, impairment or affect the well being

of workers or members of the community.

AIOH Objectives• To promote the profession of Occupational Hygiene in industry, government and the

general community.

• To improve the practice of Occupational Hygiene and the knowledge, competence

and standing of its practitioners.

• To provide a forum for the exchange of Occupational Hygiene information and ideas.

• To promote the application of Occupational Hygiene principles to improve and

maintain a safe and healthy workplace.

• To represent the profession nationally and internationally.

Coming EventAIOH Annual Conference, 1-5 December 2012, AdelaideTheme: Meeting global challenges in occupational hygiene

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Supporting Hearing Awareness Week19 – 25 August 2012

For further information■ Sandy: 0404 485 441 ■ sandy@hearsafeaustralia.com.au■ Gabrielle: 0407 528 926 ■ gabrielle@hearsafeaustralia.com.au

THE WORLDS FINEST HEARING PROTECTION

Hearsafe supply and fi t ELACIN custom made FlexComfort hearing protection

made in Australia. Comfortable, safe, competitively priced,

serviced annually, excellent warranty.Tested to AS/NZS 1269.

CURRENT CLIENTS: INDUSTRY • AVIATION • ARMY • NAVY •

AIRFORCE • MOTORBIKE RIDERS • MUSICIANS

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12

HEARSAFE works with these organisations

www.hearsafeaustralia.com.au

PTY LTDHEARSAFE AUSTRALIA

1414

If you and your team have introduced

measures to reduce noise exposure and

you would like to share this to help other

workplaces, please contact pam.gunn@

commerce.wa.gov.au.

Any case studies received would be added

to those already on WorkSafe’s noise

website at www.commerce.wa.gov.au.

Noise in the workplace is responsible for a

signifi cant number of work compensation

claims for hearing loss in WA – 71 in

2010/11 at a cost of $1.6 million.

Noise can cause tinnitus (ringing in the

ears), stress. It can also be a safety hazard

at work, interfering with communication,

acting as a distraction and making warnings

harder to hear.

Reducing noise levels at the source

provides the most effective way of

protecting workers’ hearing, as well as

providing numerous other benefi ts to

workplaces.

The website currently provides lots of useful

information, including ‘An Introduction to

Noise at Work’ and answers to frequently

asked questions.

To help get workplaces started, there is a

directory of individuals and organisations

that offer noise assessment services and

information on ‘buy quiet’ procedures. Your

case studies would add to those already

documenting successful noise management

in the WA construction and manufacturing

industries.

The website also provides links to the two

approved Codes of Practice – ‘Managing

Noise at Workplaces’ and ‘Control of Noise

in the Music Entertainment Industry’ – a

practical guide on acceptable ways of

achieving compliance with Occupational

Health and Safety (OHS) legal requirements.

More resources, including a podcast and

PowerPoint presentation ‘Keeping it Quiet’,

are available on the new Safetyline website

at www.safetyline.wa.gov.au.

WorkSafe is looking to collect new case studies on practical and effective engineering noise control in Western Australian workplaces.

By Pam GunnSenior Scientifi c Offi cer, Noise, WorkSafe Division, Department of Commerce

Share your good news stories!Share your good news stories!

Controlling noise at home or in the workplace can be confusing and the language of acoustics can be puzzling with its decibels (dB), frequencies and wavelengths.

By Jim McLoughlinBusiness Unit Leader, Acoustics, SVT Engineering Consultants

Noise control is considered by many to be one of the black arts, but this doesn’t have to be the case.

There are some simple techniques that can be used in many situations that do not require specialised knowledge or training.

When a noisy piece of equipment is operated in a room, the noise level near it is strongly affected by its location within the room.

The walls, fl oor and ceiling of the room can refl ect sound towards its source causing noise levels to be higher than they would be if the same piece of equipment were operated in a wide-open space.

The nearer the piece of equipment is to a large refl ective surface such as a wall, the stronger the refl ected sound will be.

The worst position for a noise source is in the corner of a room adjacent to two walls and the fl oor or ceiling. The best position for a noise source is as far away as possible from refl ective surfaces.

A very simple and effective noise control is to move noise sources away from walls, fl oors and ceilings.

This technique can be used effectively in workshops and sheds.

For example, if you need to do some drilling or grinding on the bench on your workshop, see if you can move the bench away from the walls. Even moving the source of noise by as little as one metre will help.

Another principle that can be used effectively relates to how different types of sound radiate outward from the source.

High-pitched sounds are often produced by sources that will radiate sound much more effectively in a particular direction, whereas low-pitched sounds are much more likely to radiate sound equally in all directions.

So, if you have a noise source that produces high-pitched sound, you can use this principle to direct the sound away from others.

These simple controls can go a long way towards reducing noise exposure and you don’t need to be an expert to implement them.

Noise control – keeping it simpleNoise control – keeping it simple

EFFECTIVE NOISE MANAGEMENT

Good science + clear communication = straightforward solutions to noise management.

For more information on our practical noise solutions visit www.coffey.com

15

Unfortunately, hard gleaming surfaces are

not traditionally known to absorb noise,

and industrial sites are noisy. The normal

approach to absorbing noise is through the

use of foams, fi bres and fabrics – all things

we know don’t last long in hot, wet, salty, or

dusty environments.

Enter stage right a 180-year-old

mathematician, Helmholtz and an Australian

manufacturing and engineering group today,

Quiet Acoustics, who are producing the

world’s fi rst non-fi brous, noise-cancelling

structural panel for industry using the

mathematicians theory known as Helmholtz

resonance.

You may not have heard of Helmholtz but

you have undoubtedly blown across a half

empty bottle at some stage to make a hum.

This is Helmholtz resonance and is the action

of the mass of air in the neck of the bottle,

bouncing on the cushion, or spring, of air in

the bottle chamber. This mass on a spring

produces a frequency of sound.

Using modern manufacturing techniques,

you can now build lightweight structural

panels using aluminium honeycomb cores,

sandwiched between two skins of aluminium,

and guess what? If you micro-perforate one

skin, the combination of honeycomb cells

and perforations produces a panel with

thousands of tiny bottles, which mimics the

noise hitting the panel, to cancel the next

sound wave.

So now we can build large fi bre-free industrial

and marine structures, which naturally cancel

noise on their own.

When we think of industrial sites, such as mine processing plants or oil and gas platforms, we picture large gleaming Meccano sets of durable metal and pipes.

By Dr Mike HaywoodDirector, Quiet Acoustics

F lipping noise back on itselfF lipping noise back on itself

You may not have heard of Helmholtz but you have undoubtedly blown across a half empty bottle at some stage to make a hum.

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Hearing Awareness Week 2012Sunday 19 to Saturday 25 August

� Hearing Awareness Week is an annual event to raise community awareness of hearing impairment and ways to

protect your hearing.

Deafness Council WA Inc was established in 1974 and is a coordinating body whose role is facilitating the work of Deaf and Hearing Impaired people and agencies. Deafness Council has been involved in the promotion of Hearing Awareness week since 1979 through campaigns, scholarships and awards including the Better Hearing Australia WA Clear Speech Awards and Harry Blackmore Award.

For further information contact Deafness Council Western Australia Inc on:contact@deafnesscouncilwa.org.au or visit www.deafnesscouncilwa.org.au

Have you heard?Hearing loss affects everyone

Featuring:

• Free hearing checks ... discover how audiometric

testing is carried out and how the results are

interpreted.

• Free iPod & MP3 noise checks...

bring your equipment to the Expo for testing

Demonstrations:

• How to measure noise levels

• Hear speech clearly & safely in

noisy environments

• How to select hearing protection that is

right for you and much more…

� Did you know?One in six Australians is Deaf, deaf/blind, hearing impaired or has a chronic ear disorder.Hearing Awareness Week provides

an opportunity for the 22 per cent of

Australians aged 15 and over who are Deaf

or have a hearing impairment to share

their experiences and knowledge and help

to create a greater understanding of their

needs, aspirations and the contributions

they can make within the community.

Join us at the:

Where:

QV1 Foyer, Perth

Date:

Tuesday 21

August &

Wednesday

22 August

Time:

10am to 3pm

However, to get appropriate performance

from these devices, there are several

elements that need to be addressed:

• Attenuation – what level of noise reduction

is needed?

• Fit – is the product fi tted correctly?

• Comfort – the product must be

comfortable or it will not be worn

• Compatibility – there may be other

personal protective equipment, such as

safety eyewear or a respirator, that also

need to be worn without degrading the

protection level

• Wear and Tear – the product should be

regularly inspected and maintained or

replaced when degraded.

Australian Standard AS/NZS 1269.3

gives detailed guidance on these aspects.

However, recent developments in

technology have given us another way to

view the attenuation and fi t elements.

Currently, hearing protectors are tested for

attenuation to AS/NZS 1270 by using a

panel of 16 to 20 test subjects with normal

hearing.

Each subject is exposed to sound at various

frequencies and volumes to determine their

threshold of hearing and then retested – this

time with the hearing protector in place.

The difference between these signals

(protected and unprotected) is the

attenuation of the product. These results for

the whole panel are then averaged to give

an attenuation value called the SLC80.

This averaging step means some test

subjects achieved a higher attenuation

than the published SLC80 value, but some

received a lower attenuation. In practice, this

means a proportion of users will get lower

attenuation than the published SLC80 rating

and are therefore at risk of overexposure to

noise.

This is not surprising – like shoes, we cannot

expect one type or size of protector to

perfectly fi t everyone. Variations in the size

and shape of the individual’s ear canal mean

some types and sizes of earplugs will not

seal effectively and should not be used.

Recent advances in design and capability of

miniature microphones and electronics now

allow us to measure the attenuation given

by a particular model or size of earplug for a

specifi c individual.

Using an appropriate fi t testing device we

can now determine the Personal Attenuation

Rating (PAR) for the individual and if this

PAR is acceptable for their noise exposure.

Rather than using the averaged SLC80

value, we can now see if Plug A gives

enough attenuation for the noise exposure,

or that perhaps Plug A does not fi t well

enough and using Plug B (or C etc.) does

provide suitable protection.

Early indications show a signifi cant

percentage of workers using earplugs

currently do not achieve the SLC80 value

and are therefore at risk of overexposure.

This new technology can assist in providing

the worker with hearing protection that

has been individually assessed for fi t and

attenuation.

It has been shown hearing protectors can provide a suitable level of protection to workers exposed to noise.

By Terry GormanSenior Occupational Hygienist, 3M Occupational Health and Environmental Safety Division

Advances in technologyAdvances in technolog y

Did you know...Did you know...The organ for hearing (cochlear) and the organ for balance (vestibular system) are actually part of the same structure.

They also share the same fl uid. This is why when we become ill, both hearing and balance can be affected.

Variations in the size and shape of the individual’s ear canal mean some types and sizes of earplugs will not seal eff ectively and should not be used.