by Brianna Crandall — July 18, 2014—Figuring out how to turn down the noise in the workplace just got easier with the release of new “Buy Quiet” Web resources from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The new, easy-to-use materials highlight the benefits of a Buy Quiet program, explain how to establish a program in the workplace, and provide additional resources for finding quieter tools and machinery.
The Buy Quiet initiative encourages companies to purchase or rent quieter machinery and tools to reduce noise exposures for workers, helping to prevent work-related noise-induced hearing loss. Noise-induced hearing loss is the most common work-related injury in the United States; approximately 22 million U.S. workers are exposed to hazardous noise exposures at work each year, according to NIOSH.
“Work-related noise-induced hearing loss is preventable and, with these new resources, NIOSH is working to help employers make better decisions that will have a lasting impact on the quality of life for their workers,” said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. “Buy Quiet programs, as part of our Prevention through Design initiative, provide a way to create inherently safer worksites that benefit both workers and employers in improving the health and safety of our nation’s workforce.”
A Buy Quiet program can help to decrease the risk of hearing loss at the worksite, minimize the impact of noise on communities, and assist companies in complying with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and other noise regulation requirements.
The new resources from NIOSH are intended for employers to use as part of Buy Quiet programs or to help them take the first steps in considering how Buy Quiet can improve their workplace. The newly released Buy Quiet resources include a video, several posters, and links to partner Buy Quiet Web sites. The materials and more information are available on NIOSH’s Buy Quiet workplace safety and health topic page.
NIOSH’s Buy Quiet effort is part of the broader Hearing Loss Prevention Program, which conducts research on the causes of occupational hearing loss and works to deliver practical prevention solutions to employers. More information on the program can be found on NIOSH’s Noise and Hearing Loss Prevention topic page.
