The Role of a Hearing Specialist in the Workplace

It is often left up to individuals to care for their hearing health, particularly when it comes to scheduling a hearing test. However, in many cases, it is also the responsibility of employers to provide protection or protocols for the hearing health of their employees. This is particularly true in any work environment where employees may be exposed to loud and prolonged levels of noise. Working in noisy environments increases the risk of hearing loss, and employers must take steps to help their employees protect their ears.

One of the steps employers can take is to consult a hearing instrument specialist (HIS) about the noise in their workplace. The HIS will provide sound advice and can also help to monitor and protect the hearing of employees. Hearing specialists can play a valuable role in the workplace in a number of industries and environments.

Providing Hearing Health Advice

One of the things that hearing specialists can do in the workplace is provide advice to employers and employees. Employers have a responsibility to ensure their employees aren’t negatively affected by the noise they may experience while at work. This might mean that they need to provide hearing protection or monitor noise levels. Hearing specialists can offer advice on the best ways to protect employees’ hearing and the personal protective equipment that can be used. They may also be able to recommend other tools to use in the workplace for people with hearing loss, like phone captioning services.

A hearing specialist can act as an advocate for employees, helping employers to ensure they are providing the right protection. They can also offer individual advice to employees who may want to know more about how to protect their hearing health or who have any concerns about their hearing.

Conducting Hearing Tests

A HIS can also administer hearing tests to employees. This is sometimes possible to do on-site, helping employers to maintain occupational health more easily. By providing hearing tests, employers can support the health of their employees. Additionally, they can ensure that any hearing problems that could affect the safety of their employees are detected early. In many work environments, it’s crucial that employees can hear clearly for communication and other reasons. If they have hearing loss, the right adjustments need to be put in place to prevent any issues. Of course, each individual’s results remain confidential to them.

Regular hearing tests are particularly important for anyone who works in a noisy environment or often has to carry out tasks involving loud sounds. Exposure to a lot of noise damages hearing and increases the risk of hearing loss. Ensuring employees get their hearing tests helps to keep them healthy and could highlight any need to improve health and safety procedures.

Delivering Remote Care

As well as providing on-site hearing care, some health specialists can offer remote care to employees. This can be ideal for those in the workplace who might not have the time to attend an in-person appointment or for any occasion where they might just be looking for advice. Remote hearing care can allow people to get advice on hearing health, hearing assessments and help with hearing aids. Employers can provide access to these services at work or at home for their employees so that they can access the care they need at any time.

Helping Employees with Hearing Loss

Utilizing a hearing specialist for your workplace can play an important role in supporting people who have hearing loss. They can provide services like industrial hearing screenings, making it convenient for employees to get the support and treatment information that they need. They can also offer advice on how people with existing hearing loss can protect their hearing and prevent further deterioration of their hearing. A HIS might be able to recommend the best hearing aids or other assistive devices to use in the workplace, or help employees get the most from their hearing aids. They can also provide services to help with hearing aid maintenance and repairs, helping people to quickly solve any problems they have so they can safely get back to work.

Hearing specialists can support both employers and employees in the workplace. With their specialist knowledge and equipment, they are able to help ensure the best care and advice. Consider finding out how a hearing specialist can play an important role in your workplace and how you can protect your employees’ hearing.

Contact Hear Clear by calling (603) 455-8777 to discover more about hearing specialists and how they can help to keep your workforce healthy.