New research shows that 65% of tradies are putting their hearing at risk and 51% are putting their eyesight at risk by not wearing protective equipment on site.
The research, commissioned by Specsavers, provider of optometry and audiology services, revealed that 71% of trades people who have worked in the industry for more than ten years say they believe that their work has had a negative impact on their hearing while 45% said their eyesight had been negatively affected.
Three quarters (76%) of workers admitted to often being in a ‘loud environment’ while on the job. Where noise levels reach 85 decibels or more, trades people are advised to wear protective equipment including earmuffs or earplugs, but when questioned, just one in three (35%) said they always wore hearing protection when in loud working environments, with 47% admitting to sometimes simply forgetting their protective equipment.
The results were also concerning when it came to eye health, with only half of respondents (49%) always wearing goggles when appropriate to protect themselves from projectiles or dust particles.
Tradies admitted to spending 23 hours per week on average in environments where UV light can cause damage to the eye. Despite New Zealand having one of the highest UV rates in the world, only 20% of tradies are always wearing sunglasses during the winter months when UV levels are still high.
Unfortunately, just three fifths of respondents (62%) said that they had visited an optometrist in the last two years, the recommended timeframe for adults, and just 44% of respondents over 40 had been for a hearing test during the same time period.
Audiologist Mikael Na says: “A ‘she’ll be right’ attitude to hearing could be detrimental for those working in loud environments. I’ve seen a lot of retired or older trades people who have hearing issues and have admitted to not wearing earmuffs on site regularly during their careers.”
Optometrist, Philip Walsh, says although it’s easy to forget about protecting the eyes from damage and UV while on the job, it’s important to do so.
“These results indicate that tradies are exposing themselves to eye damage unnecessarily. Having small bits of metal, dust, dirt, or grit in the eye can cause the eyes to water, cause redness, pain and a scratchy sensation on the eye. This type of irritation can cause your vision to become blurry or sensitive to light or even cause damage to the cornea, which is important to help focus your vision.
“With tradies spending over four-and-a-half hours a day outside, it’s very important they protect their eyes from sun damage, even outside of summer months,” he says.
"Excessive exposure to UV while working outdoors can lead to a burn on the front surface of the eye, much like how your skin reacts in a sunburn when subjected to strong sun without protection. In addition, long-term exposure can increase the risk of developing conditions like cataracts and macular degeneration. For tradies, who are frequently out in environments where UV radiation is intensified, such as from the glare reflected from concrete, it's even more important to protect their eyes."
Mr Na adds, "We’re encouraging all tradies to be aware of the potential risks and pop on a pair of earmuffs and goggles when at work. Prevention is always better than cure and getting regular health checks is important in keeping your eyes and ears safe."
Symptoms of hearing loss to look out for: | Changes in eyesight to look out for:
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Difficulty understanding words, especially against background noise or in a crowd | Irritated eyes
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Trouble hearing consonants | Floaters
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Frequently asking others to speak more slowly | Blurred vision |
Frequently asking others to speak more clearly | Headaches
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Frequently asking others to speak more loudly | Redness |
Needing to turn up the volume of the television or radio |
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Withdrawal from conversations | |
Avoidance of some social settings |
Take the following preventative measures to protect your eyesight:
1. Wear protective goggles while operating machinery where saw dust or projectiles could damage your eyes
2. Wear sunglasses all year around that have UV protection. For the best kind of protection, buy sunglasses that have polarised lenses as they provide superior vision in bright light, by eliminating 99.9% of horizontal glare, while also providing 100% UV protection.
3. Apply sunscreen on your eyelids and around your eyes. While the eyelid is designed to protect the eye, the skin is very thin and contains fragile tissues that can be damaged by UV light so it’s important to make sure you apply sunscreen to your eyelids and reapply it every two hours.
4. Wear a broadbrimmed hat. This will not only provide protection to your head but also your eyes, nose, ears, and neck.
5. Book In regular eye tests with your optometrist every two years or more frequently If advised or if you notice any changes to your vision.
Take the following preventative measures to protect long-term hearing:
1. When unavoidably exposed to loud noise, insist on wearing personal hearing protection such as earplugs, earmuffs or both remembering that everyday equipment, such as lawnmowers and power tools may be loud enough to impact your hearing.
2. Reduce the number of different noises at any one time. Simultaneous conversations, working power tools, as well as a loud radio can place undue strain on your ears.
3. Do a quick test to assess the noise in your workplace by using the ‘one metre rule’. If you need to raise your voice to talk to someone about one metre away, you can assume the sound level is likely to be hazardous to hearing.
