The Frankenstein Fit

When the alarming standard threshold shift (STS) data appeared in my email, it was impossible to ignore. A single department was experiencing a massively disproportionate number of STS —meaning these employees have some kind of noise induced hearing loss that was not reversible.

Usually, employees were given their annual hearing conservation training with an online module. But given the glaring deficiencies in this department, I self-tasked an intervention. I needed to step away from the screen and get in front of these employees face-to-face.

During the training session, I covered all the hearing conservation basics, but I put a major emphasis on the use of hearing protection and advertised our massive selection of ear plugs and earmuffs. Just as I was explaining the importance of a proper seal, one of the employees stopped me cold.

"Wait," he said, staring at the presentation in genuine confusion. "You have to shove the earplugs into your ear?"

I paused, realizing he was serious, very serious. "Yes. You roll them tight, reach over your head to pull up on your ear, insert the plug, and hold it until it expands."

He looked absolutely shell-shocked. This brief interaction revealed a horrifying, yet slightly hilarious, truth: this employee has not been using hearing protection correctly - simply mashing them against the outside of his ear opening. Clearly, this employee has been walking around the plant with orange foam ear plugs sticking straight out of his ear, like the neck bolts on Frankenstein.

I didn't need to do the math. If this employee was not inserting ear plugs correctly, he definitely was not the only one. Suddenly, the great mystery of the mass departmental hearing shifts was solved.

The Lesson: The Illusion of "Common Sense"

This experience was a massive wake-up call regarding how we deliver safety training.

• The Limits of Online Training: A computer screen cannot watch an employee put on PPE.
• Never Assume Basic Knowledge: As safety professionals, we use PPE so often that it becomes second nature. We falsely assume that how to use a basic foam earplug is "common sense." It isn't.