October 02, 2018
Most employers are aware that occupational noise has the potential to cause permanent hearing loss in exposed workers. Less well known, and less studied, is the link between occupational noise exposure and tinnitus.
A study from NIOSH looks at both conditions, teasing out their individual prevalence, how often they occur together, and how they are connected to occupational noise exposure.
Noise-induced hearing loss is the most widely known and well understood effect of occupational noise exposure, but other effects, like increased stress and cardiovascular issues, are less well defined.
Tinnitus, or “ringing in the ears,” is another condition known to be connected to noise exposure but without much detail. It’s different from hearing loss, although the two conditions sometimes occur together.
Rather than diminished hearing, tinnitus is sound that is perceived in one or both ears even when the environment has no source of sound. It can disrupt