According to the National Institute of Deafness (2017), Tinnitus is commonly described as a ringing in the ears, but it can also sound like roaring, clicking, hissing or buzzing. Roughly 10% of the adult population has experienced tinnitus lasting at least five minutes in the last year.
According to NID (2017) people who work in noisy environments—such as factory or construction workers, road crews, or even musicians—can develop tinnitus over time…This is called noise-induced hearing loss.
What causes tinnitus?
Tinnitus is a symptom when something is wrong in the auditory system, which includes the ear, auditory nerve and parts of the brain that process sound (NID, 2017). Some examples that may cause tinnitus include:
- Earwax blocking the ear canal;
- Noise-induced hearing loss;
- Hormonal changes in women;
- Thyroid abnormalities;
- More health conditions diagnosed by your GP;
Workplace Health and Safety Victoria offer hearing testing – this is generally used as a pre-employment check or a workplace yearly health check up as a workplace benefit. This entails employees sitting in a booth, putting on earmuffs and performing a test, where we record results and handover to a GP, who will discuss further with the employee.
If you experience tinnitus, always visit your GP where further assessments can take place.
If an employee is exposed to loud noises at work, the correct hearing protection needs to be supplied and workplaces need to train their employees when and how to correctly use this equipment – https://www.worksafe.vic.gov.au/hearing-protection