More than half of Kiwi tradies surveyed are putting their eyes and ears at risk
New research has revealed that 65% of tradies are putting their hearing at risk and 51% are putting their eyesight at risk by not wearing protective equipment on site.
The research, commissioned by Specsavers [1], provider of optometry and audiology services, revealed that 71% of trades people who have worked in the industry for more than ten years say they believe that their work has had a negative impact on their hearing while 45% said their eyesight had been negatively affected.
Three quarters (76%) of workers admitted to often being in a ‘loud environment’ while on the job. Where noise levels reach 85 decibels or more, trades people are advised to wear protective equipment including earmuffs or earplugs[2], but when questioned, just one in three (35%) said they always wore hearing protection when in loud working environments, with 47% admitting to sometimes simply forgetting their protective equipment.
The results were also concerning when it came to eye health, with only half of respondents (49%) always wearing goggles when appropriate to protect themselves from projectiles or dust particles.
Tradies admitted to spending 23 hours per week on average in environments where UV light can cause damage to the eye. Despite New Zealand having one of the highest UV rates in the world, only 20% of tradies are always wearing sunglasses during the winter months when UV levels are still high.
Unfortunately, just three fifths of respondents (62%) said that they had visited an optometrist in the last two years, the recommended timeframe for adults, and just 44% of respondents over 40 had been for a hearing test during the same time period.
Specsavers Audiologist Mikael Na said, “It’s worrying that skilled labourers aren’t taking the necessary measures to keep their ears protected as, generally, they are working in very loud conditions, exposing themselves to volumes that could cause long-term issues.
“A ‘she’ll be right’ attitude to hearing could be detrimental for those working in loud environments. I’ve seen a lot of retired or older trades people who have hearing issues and have admitted to not wearing earmuffs on site regularly during their careers.”
Optometrist, Philip Walsh, of Specsavers New Lynn, said although it’s easy to forget about protecting the eyes from damage and UV while on the job, it’s important to do so.
“These results indicate that tradies are exposing themselves to eye damage unnecessarily. Having small bits of metal, dust, dirt, or grit in the eye can cause the eyes to water, cause redness, pain and a scratchy sensation on the eye. This type of irritation can cause your vision to become blurry or sensitive to light or even cause damage to the cornea, which is important to help focus your vision.”.