Are there any hazardous noise levels? On Fri, May 12, 2023, 2:00 PM Chuck McCown via AF <af@af.afmug.com> wrote:
> I warned an employee wearing noise cancelling earphones that they were a > safety hazard yesterday. Today I noticed he had them on again, I pointed > to his ear. He went off on me, complaining that everyone else had > earbuds. I told him that many times I started talking to him and he either > acted like he was not hearing anything or he chose to ignore me. Yadda y > adda, yadda. He quit a few minutes later. Good worker but lousy > attitude. 43 years old and had worked about 20 different places. > > So I adopted an open ears policy. If I am the asshole, that is fine. I > am a boomer and proud of it. > > Whadya y’all think? > > > > *Should Employees Be Allowed to Wear Earbuds?* > ------------------------------ > > > > Currently, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) does > not have guidelines on earbud use in the workplace. However, OSHA has > issued recommendations regarding earbud use while on the job. Of course, > wearing earbuds in some work environments poses more of a threat than in > others. > > Earbud Dangers > > The dangers of wearing earbuds while on the job are similar to > non-employment use of these devices. People wearing earbuds simply cannot > hear emergency signals, but it goes beyond that. Overall, earbuds may pose > a safety hazard because the employee is less cognizant of their > surroundings and is not paying attention to their safety. > > No Earbuds Allowed > > OSHA urges employers to forbidTop of Form > > Bottom of Form > > the use of earbuds when workers are operating any sort of heavy equipment. > Anyone working on a manufacturing or construction site where heavy > equipment is used should not have earbuds, headphones, or similar devices > on their heads. For example, even if the forklift operator is not wearing > earbuds, a fellow employee in the vicinity using these devices could end up > getting hit if they cannot hear the machine. Along with earbuds, the same > warnings hold true for smartphones. Manufacturing machinery such as > milling machines emit noises that indicate problem conditions or unsafe > conditions. Operators of machines need to be able to hear what is going > on with the machine. > > Other Earbud Risks > > In most manufacturing industries, various energy-related hazards exist. > These may include chemical, electrical, or fire hazards. Failure to hear a > warning device due to earbud use not only puts that employee at risk if > they cannot hear warnings from coworkers but may be at risk as earbuds also > affect evacuations or the realization that equipment is not functioning > properly. For maximum safety, no employee in a manufacturing setting should > wear earbuds, even if they are not in an area of heavy equipment use. That > includes those working in warehouses. Earbuds are never a substitute for > any type of hearing protection on the job. > > -- > AF mailing list > AF@af.afmug.com > http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com >
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