Noise Awareness is the latest addition to the Engage in Learning range of health & safety e-learning programmes.

 

Becoming the 21st title in Engage in Learning’s health & safety portfolio – one of six equally well-stocked portfolios from the UK-based firm – the Noise Awareness programme reveals that:

  • Loud noises account for some 20% of hearing loss in adults,
  • Over 2m people in the UK are exposed to noise levels that may be harmful,
  • 90 new cases of hearing loss are reported each year in the UK and
  • 16% of disabling hearing loss is caused by noise at work.

 

Moreover, according to the charity, Action on Hearing Loss,

  • There are 11m people with hearing loss across the UK – some one in six of the population.
  • By 2035, there are likely to be some 15.6m people with hearing loss across the UK – that’s one in five.
  • There are currently some 50,000 children with hearing loss in the UK. Around half of these were born with hearing loss while the other half lose their hearing during childhood.
  • An estimated 900,000 people in the UK have severe or profound hearing loss.
  • More than 40% of people over 50 years old have hearing loss – and this rises to 71% of people over the age of 70.
  • Around one in ten UK adults has tinnitus.

 

In addition, Action on Hearing Loss has found that:

  • 70% of people with hearing loss say that this hearing loss has sometimes prevented them from fulfilling their potential at work.
  • 35% of business leaders surveyed in a YouGov poll don’t feel confident about employing a person with hearing loss.

 

“As far as hearing loss is concerned, the old saying is true: prevention is better than cure,” said Engage in Learning’s Managing Director, Chris Horseman. “So we’ve produced our Noise Awareness programme – to set out the potential dangers of prolonged exposure to noise and to offer ways of reducing the risk of both temporary and permanent hearing loss.

 

“The ‘loudness’ of normal conversation tends to be between 60 and 65 decibels – and human beings can cope with these sorts of decibel levels,” he explained. “However, modern life has produced personal stereos, emergency services vehicles’ sirens, unremitting noise from industrial machines and so on.

 

“Among the advice in our new programme is that, to protect your hearing, you should find a quiet environment from time to time – to allow your ears to recover from the high noise levels they’ve experienced.

 

“When you’re exposed to loud noises and/or high noise levels, you should wear ear plugs, ear protectors or headphones.

 

“When listening to your music, you should choose noise-cancelling headphones – or wear old-style muff headphones because these block out background noise and allow you to lower the volume of the music. Earbud style, in-the-ear, headphones are less effective at drowning out background noise.

 

“Take regular breaks from your headphones, though – to give your ears time to recover and readjust,” he added. “And it’s always good advice to turn down the volume levels on TVs, computers, music players and so on to the lowest setting where you can hear comfortably.”

 

Engage in Learning’s programmes are designed to be dynamic, ‘pacey’ and media-rich, contriving to build knowledge and develop self-awareness in learners. They engage learners with interactivity, humour, and storytelling – and the new Noise Awareness programme is no exception to this.

 

For further details of the Noise Awareness programme visit: https://www.engageinlearning.com/course/noise-awareness/