Browsing: Noise

A major government employer has been found liable for a worker's psychological injury, after its "messenger" wrongly told him he had been suspended. It was deemed not liable for the man's tinnitus, purportedly caused by the noise of workplace air conditioners.

The pandemic era is providing employers with a golden opportunity to address the significant stress risks posed by open-plan office noises, Australian researchers say.

With noise-induced hearing loss remaining one of the most prevalent occupational diseases, despite regulatory thresholds, researchers have examined the benefits of personal in-ear monitors, and found they appear to improve the use of PPE and drive the implementation of engineering controls.

A white-collar worker has been awarded lump sum compensation and the cost of hearing aids, after a tribunal found her office environment was noisy enough to cause noise-induced hearing loss.

Injury-causing fatigue and delayed reaction times in workers increase significantly as workplace noise levels increase, a simulation of a noisy workplace has shown.

Employers with "noisy" workplaces have been urged to ensure mandatory hearing tests are carried out by authorised testers, given the provision of inaccurate data can have serious ramifications for businesses and their employees.

• Alarms ignored, worker killed, employer fined $540k;
  
• WHS guides for worker accommodation and events released in NSW; and
  
• WHS exemption extended in NSW.

In upholding a worker's noise-induced hearing loss claim, a tribunal has found claimants bear the onus of proving the relevant employment involved excessive noise exposure, before the evidentiary onus shifts to the respondent to show otherwise.

One-on-one training dramatically improves the effectiveness of workers' hearing protection devices, reducing the likelihood of improper fit and hearing loss, Canadian researchers have found.

Australia's first WHS Code of Practice for managing psychological risks, released for comment in NSW, advises duty holders to apply the hierarchy of controls and eliminate the risks by redesigning work processes.