Next generation noise monitoring and protection

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) is a permanent and disabling condition. In the UK alone, it affects two million workers. Globally, a staggering 1.1 billion people are estimated to have the condition, with 16% of disabling hearing loss worldwide being attributed to exposure to occupational noise. Workers in industries such as manufacturing, mining, and construction are at exceptionally high risk of experiencing NIHL, but many industries have workers who are exposed to potentially unsafe levels of sound at work.

Historically, risk assessments for noise in the workplace determine the average noise levels in a given environment and offer an estimate of employees' personal daily noise exposure. The assessment informs all aspects of the hearing loss prevention programme, including the selection of PPE.

While averages and estimates are a good place to start, traditional noise assessments have a high degree of uncertainty. They are limited windows into actual workplace conditions and worker habits and aren’t nearly reliable or accurate enough to provide a solid foundation for effective risk management. 

Smart Alert by Minuendo is a purpose-built solution for better overall sound monitoring in the workplace. Lightweight and easy to use, it was created to fully prevent exposure to unsafe levels of sound by alerting workers, in real-time, to unsafe conditions. With automatic notifications and actionable guidance on exposure, Smart Alert provides teams with drilled-down insights and critical context that drives better working habits.

Smart Alert continuously measures a worker’s exposure to noise from inside the ear. This means that the noise being measured by Smart Alert is the actual noise that someone is being exposed to and not simply a measure of ambient or background noise. This is a critical distinction between the Smart Alert methodology and traditional noise assessments. By measuring how much noise a worker is actually exposed to, instead of estimating personal exposure based on a calculation of the average amount of ambient noise that exists in a workplace, Smart Alert can capture the most meaningful data available: the data from within the wearer’s ear. 

The Smart Alert difference is, in a word, certainty, that your noise monitoring solution is capturing the right data at the right time, and certainty that you have the information necessary to make informed - not arbitrary - decisions with regard to the health and safety of your workforce.

NIHL is 100% preventable. However, preventing NIHL requires a comprehensive and thoughtful approach to risk management that must go beyond bare regulatory compliance and be driven by a commitment to revolutionising hearing conservation throughout your teams and your business. 

For more information and to book an online demo, visit www.minuendo.com