I think you're right on the money, employees are there to work not listen to music. I walked up on an employee once potholing a plastic gas service right at the edge of the pavement with headphones on, I had to scream to get his attention. Totally zero situational awareness and no way he'd have heard hissing if he damaged the gas line. Our policy is no music/headphones while working near equipment, in a hazardous area like the road ROW or with a customer nearby. For some jobs, like sitting in the van splicing fiber, I am OK with it.
On Fri, May 12, 2023 at 3:00 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 -- AF mailing list AF@af.afmug.com http://af.afmug.com/mailman/listinfo/af_af.afmug.com
