State agencies are spreading the word this month: whether it’s via earbuds or on the job, loud noises can cause permanent hearing loss. Brandon Sharkey is a certified safety and health consultant with the Kentucky Education and Labor Cabinet. When requested, he and his colleagues visit workplaces, at no charge, to measure noise levels. “If an employee is exposed to 85 decibels on average over an eight-hour period, or greater, at that point, the law goes into effect, and the employer is required to start doing things to protect that employee from hearing loss.” Sharkey said the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration law’s remedies include employers providing hearing protection and annual audio metric screenings by the cabinet. Asked if workers are reluctant to wear ear protection, he said their older colleagues are willing to help. “They often, at times, tell the tale of how they didn’t protect their hearing in their youth and they’re wearing hearing aids. And then we have the older people’s buy-in, whom the younger people respect.” A cabinet news release cites data from the Hearing Loss Association of America showing one-eighth of children between 6 and 19 have hearing loss due to loud music, with earbuds often to blame. KYSAFE The post Agencies remind Kentuckians about threat of hearing loss — and how to prevent it appeared first on The Lexington Times.