Conference sounds warning on work-related hearing loss

The World Health Organisation considers noise-induced hearing loss to be the most common and irreversible occupational disease. Statistics show that it accounts for one-third of all work-related illnesses in the EU, ahead of skin and respiratory problems.

Millions of Europe's workers suffer from work-related hearing difficulties, and it is estimated that almost 40 million employees (the population of Spain) have to raise their voices to be heard for at least half the time they are at work.

These facts and figures were highlighted by the newly appointed chairman of the Occupational Health and Safety Authority, Roberta Messina, and Susanne Schunder-Tatzber from the Austrian Academy for Occupational Medicine.

They were yesterday addressing the conference Stop that Noise, organised as part of the European Week for Safety and Health at Work, at the New Dolmen Hotel in Qawra. The European Week is being organised in the 25 EU member states as well as in the candidate and European Free Trade Area countries.

When considering that loss of hearing not only prevents workers from reaching their maximum potential on the job, but also hinders them in their social life, the issue of noise cannot be ignored, Ms Messina pointed out, stressing on the need to protect hearing.

A consultation process is currently underway on the draft Work Place (Minimum Health and Safety Requirements for the Protection of Workers from Risks Arising from Exposure to Noise) Regulations, which should be enacted by early next year.

The first legal notice, Risks from Exposure to Noise, came into force last year and will be replaced by the new regulations, Ms Messina said.

It is being amended to bring Malta in line with the EU's new directive regarding protection of workers from risks resulting from exposure to noise (Dir. 2003/10/EC).

The new regulations set out the exposure limit values and exposure action values for noise. The idea is to lower the threshold values, Ms Messina said. They also require the employer to take certain measures where there is likely to be a risk from exposure to noise.

Ms Messina said she hoped that initiatives in the field of occupational health and safety would not only come from the authority but that more entities would get involved, particularly the social partners.

"The time for discussions and plans is over," she said, insisting that it was now time they materialised.

Ms Messina appealed to small businesses to seriously invest in health and safety measures and not to consider them as an extra burden.

"In reality, it is the lack of health and safety measures that often leads to incidents that can ruin a business!"

Statistics showed that in the first six months of the year, the government paid out around Lm400,000 in injury benefits - a figure that did not include the millions of liri spent on, for example, sick leave, invalidity and widow pensions, which could be a result of incidents or death at the workplace, Ms Messina pointed out.

Other incidents were not even reflected in these figures - some employees were not aware that their health problems were related to their jobs, she said.

Hence, the importance of an information campaign of the sort.

The OHSA had organised what was termed a Noise Tour to determine levels of noise in different places - from homes to construction sites - and provide baseline data on peak noise levels from various activities, areas, locations and sectors.

The conclusions were "surprising", Ms Messina described.

Dr Schunder-Tatzber, the conference's keynote speaker, talked about medical effects and occupational exposure to noise, stressing the impact of noise on hearing.

She said noise-induced hearing loss was caused by prolonged exposure to loud noise and that the first symptoms were the inability to hear high-pitched sounds, followed by difficulties in detecting lower-pitched sounds - all permanent damage.