Let’s Stand in Line
for
Hearing Protection!
Catherine L. Conely, AuD
Clinical Doctor of Audiology
Aurora Sheboygan Clinic
Sheboygan, WI
•
•
•
•
train·ing
ˈtrāniNG/
noun
the action of teaching a person or
animal a particular skill or type of
behavior.
synonyms:
instruction, teaching,
coaching, tutoring,
guidance, schooling,
education, orientation
• mo·ti·vate
• ˈmōdəˌvāt/
• verb
• the act of stimulating someone’s interest in
or enthusiasm for doing something
synonyms:
inspire, stimulate, encourage,
spur (on), excite, influence,
incentivize, fire with enthusiasm,
push, propel
Who is going to do this?
• Safety director
• Supervisor
• OHC
• Sincere
• Genuine interest
• Be so GOOD …
they can’t ignore
YOU!
Tips
• Make your use of THEIR time worthwhile
• Provide input that will be of DIRECT VALUE
• Allow workers to SHARE
• Use multiple modes of COMMUNICATION
• Be ORGANIZED
• Ask for FEEDBACK
Remember
• People
remember 70%
of what they
hear in the first
20 minutes of
an educational
session and
only 15% of
what they hear
in the last 20.
Regulations Comparison
Regulations Comparison
Uniquely enough…
• Who to train…
• When to train…
• What to train…
•HOW?
Health Promotion Model
• Five factors that influence use of HPD:
– 1. Job category and noise exposure
– 2. Confidence in ability to use HPDs
– 3. Benefits of using HPDs
– 4. Barriers of using HPDs
– 5. Social role models
Reference:
Kerr; Best Practices in Promoting the Use of Hearing Protection,
CAOHC Update Summer 2009
http://www.caohc.org/updatearticles/summer09.pdf
In other words…
• So what?
• Who cares?
• What’s in it for me?
Increase Awareness
How loud is too loud?
• If you have to shout to be heard from
three feet away
• Sounds around you are muffled or dull
after leaving a noisy area
• You have tinnitus (ringing of the ears)
or ear pain after exposure to noise
Increase Awareness!
• Noise is ANY unwanted sound.
• Sounds, particularly loud ones, that
disturb people or make it difficult to hear
we consider noise.
What’s it going to do to me?
• Difficulties communicating
• Struggles socializing in groups
• Adverse effects on health:
– tinnitus
– fatigue
– irritability/jangled nerves
– depression
– hypertension
Increase Ownership!
• A hearing conservation program
should be seen as a benefit, not an
imposition.
• Place some of the responsibility on the
employee.
• Make it beneficial, not punitive.
What is it going to cost me?
• “An ear plug is more comfortable, less
expensive, easier to care for and
easier to use than a hearing aid.”
• “A hearing aid cannot replace normal
hearing, because no matter how clear
the sound is , it has to travel through a
damaged ear.”
Your favorite sound…
http://soundbible.com/
“It’s too late for me…”