The HSE needs to collaborate closely with employers to create change when it comes to noise in the workplace.
Speaking at the Hearing Conservation Association’s Listen Up conference in Manchester, Specialist Inspector (Noise & Vibration) at HSE, Chris Steel, said the Executive needs to work with noise at work specialists to achieve shared goals.
“The HSE doesn’t have a huge amount of noise inspectors,” he admitted.” We’re reliant on people like yourself on getting the message out.”
He said HSE’s focus is on other areas with noise at work some way down its agenda but suggested having “a consistent simple message to get parity on these things and get movement”.
He cited ‘CUFF ‘ (Condition, Use, Fit the ear, Fit for purpose) as a good starting point across the sector, applicable to both small and large firms, suggesting the latter may have resource to incorporate noise at work safety systems, while smaller firms struggle.
Worryingly, he quoted a report where 40 per cent of firms were failing to use hearing protection correctly, despite the inspectorate phoning ahead to warn they were coming.
In this episode of the Safety & Health Podcast, ‘Burnout, stress and being human’, Heather Beach is joined by Stacy Thomson to discuss burnout, perfectionism and how to deal with burnout as an individual, as management and as an organisation.
We provide an insight on how to tackle burnout and why mental health is such a taboo subject, particularly in the workplace.
CUFF is a super acronym which I used in my own presentation on noise and hearing protection in a military environment where the condition of military headsets often leaves a lot to be desired. Together with Workscreen, we have shamelessly taken Chris’s CUFF acronym and extended it to add hearing screening, Workscreen’s forte and education i.e. CHUFFED.
Mmmmm, the Appeal Courts set the retrospective precedent for hearing loss in the 2011 Baker -v- Quantum Clothing & Others regardless of employers at the time claiming they were compliant so I wonder how long it will take for the no-win no-fee boys to catch onto employers omitting to address Product Safety issues for DSE Operators debilitating vision stress, eye-strain, screen fatigue or Computer Vision Syndrome resulting in presenteeism, 20% lost productivity, myopic and asthenopic disease !?
https://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr561.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2C1jmwGIsGQ&list=PLezLOQBs0kcn1kCE3A_Jr5eShBiLu3kKy&index=4&t=9s