Is life too loud? Protect your hearing, and save your sanity. Practical information and creative solutions for everyday noise problems.

Hearing-impaired workers face a number of additional challenges in the workplace, particularly when working safely around machinery or responding during an emergency situation.

On average, 22 million workers are exposed to hazardous noise in the workplace each year. To protect these workers from developing hearing loss due to these exposures, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires implementation of hearing conservation programs for individuals exposed to hazardous noise levels and requires companies to supply their employees with a suitable variety of hearing protectors.

Howard Leight | Hearing Protection and Hearing Conservation | The right fit for every user, every environment.

It is a misconception that hearing-impaired or deaf workers do not have to participate in a hearing conservation program. Like those with normal hearing, these workers still fall under OSHA, MSHA and FRA regulations for occupational noise exposures.

Workers often don't file for hearing loss compensation until they retire. But with workers staying in the workforce longer, will the compensation bill eventually be larger? There are ways to prevent noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), even for those workers who may already have some level of hearing impairment.

Is the process of determining hearing protection levels for a particular job or work area different for employees who have existing hearing loss?

Workplace hearing protection programs typically focus on those with normal hearing, but don’t always address the special needs of hearing-impaired workers.

Safety and Health Information Bulletins | Hearing Conservation for the Hearing-Impaired Worker

Wearing hearing protection is vital, especially if you're hearing is already damaged. Here are some tips.

I have a patient who wears CIC hearing aids. He works in a loud environment and needs to hear when someone is talking to him. He currently wears earmuffs, but can't wear his hearing aids since they feed back. Is there any type of earmuff with a noise cancellation system that might help this patient? Any other suggestions?

I wear BTE hearing aids and work in a factory. I have NIHL [noise induced hearing loss] and wear earmuffs over my hearing aids. Safety glasses are required in my workplace. I find the fit of my earmuffs very tight, the outer ear is being pinched. Is there a type of extender for earmuffs to give room for the hearing aids? I have Peltor Tactical Pro earmuffs. They allow me to understand my coworkers' speech and protect my hearing, I just need more ...

The OSHA Noise Standard does not discriminate between workers with and without hearing loss, or those who wear hearing aids and those who do not.

If you’ve suffered from hearing loss, there’s a good chance you wear a hearing aid on a regular basis to pick up on sounds that you may otherwise not be able to hear. If you’ve recently suffered from hearing loss, there may be a bit of an adjustment period when it comes to getting used...

Ask Anna is a weekly advice column for the hearing loss community. Dear Anna, I am hard of hearing, but I enjoy going to concerts and listening to music. Can my hearing be damaged by noise even though I have already lost most of my hearing? Do I still have to wear hearing protection? I would like to keep as much of my hearing as possible. Thanks, Worried musician Hi worried musician, Even though you have a hearing loss, your ears can still be damaged by loud noise. General information on protection of your ears still applies. In situations such