Browsing: Noise

A worker has lost a bid for lump sum compensation for hearing loss, after a tribunal found an audiogram conducted six years prior to his impairment assessment was validly used to reject his claim.

Personal protective equipment poses "hidden" psychological risks for workers, and the COVID-19 pandemic has provided an invaluable opportunity to properly examine these hazards, Australian researchers say.

A PCBU did not satisfy its WHS duty to eliminate or minimise the risk of workers being crushed by an electric rise-and-fall platform (RFP), in a noisy environment, by fitting the RFP with a loud siren, a superior court has confirmed.

Millions of workers are exposed to excessive noise, and thousands of injuries, including lacerations, burns and amputations, are linked to the hazard, which affects concentration and situational awareness, environmental health researchers have found.

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.