By Callum Ludwig
A Yarra Ranges tradie is urging fellow tradespeople to take their safety seriously.
Tradies, as well as labourers and those at home getting stuck into DIY projects, can avoid long-term and potentially irreversible eye and ear damage with simple preventative measures.
Local bricklayer David Malcolm has had hearing aids for nine years and said using a brick-cutting saw was what damaged his hearing.
“Back in those days, no one ever told you to wear earmuffs and nobody thought they were ever gonna go deaf. I’ve got a few mates that are plumbers who use a lot of power tools over their days, and they’re going deaf as well,” he said.
“I’ve got constant ringing in my ears from the saw, that’s what I put it down to. Even now using a grinder or anything like that, though I use earmuffs now. Bit late now I guess.”
56 per cent of tradies surveyed admit to not wearing hearing protection in loud working environments or around loud machinery, with 34 per cent forgetting to wear hearing protection and 9 per cent believing loud noises won’t have an impact on their hearing.
Mr Malcolm said by the time he realised he was going deaf, his hearing was already on a downhill run.
“I got hearing aids and it has been a lot better since then, but I wouldn’t say I’m 100 per cent. I still miss a few things, or so my wife tells me. My kids had told me to get hearing aids, because it was just getting worse and worse,” he said.
“We tell young people to make sure they are wearing earmuffs, safety glasses, gloves and everything now because 50 years ago, we never got told anything. All these power tools that have come in now are so easy to use and make life really easy, but if you don’t use them correctly, this is what happens.”
August marks National Tradies Health Awareness Month and new research commissioned by Specsavers Australia has revealed a shocking 60 per cent of tradies are not wearing protective equipment while at work.
In the Yarra Ranges, that equates to 15,053 of 25,089 technicians, tradespeople, labourers and machinery operators. Furthermore, 61 per cent of Australians do not wear protective equipment when doing work around the house.
Lilydale Specsavers Audiology Professional Meena Venkat said they can’t stress enough how
important it is to look after your hearing and your eyesight.
“Once you lose it, there is no getting it back. However, there are preventative measures you can take and it’s even more important for our tradies to be taking these precautions as their working environments makes them more vulnerable to experiencing damage to their hearing and sight,” she said.
“Taking small precautions like putting on a pair of glasses to protect your eyes from UV rays, or
goggles to protect your eyes from dust or, even earmuffs when working on loud machinery to
prevent damage to your ears. These protective measures can make the world of difference and save you from experiencing a decline in your eyesight or hearing which as we know are pivotal to your quality of life.”
Eye protection was equally concerning as only half of those surveyed (50 per cent) wear protective googles all the time and less than two in five (36 per cent) ensured they always wear their sunglasses when working outdoors. They stated that they don’t bother wearing them if it’s overcast (42 per cent), they forget to wear them (40 per cent), and concerningly, that they can’t be bothered, or it’s too much effort (9 per cent).
“Health professionals across the country are encouraging all tradies to be aware of the potential risks and put on a pair of earmuffs and goggles when at work,” said Ms Venkat.
“Prevention is always better than cure and getting regular health checks is important in keeping your eyes and ears safe now and for years to come.”
Ms Venkat recommends the following tips to ensure tradies are looking after their hearing and eyesight while on the job:
Wear protection like eye goggles and hearing protection when exposed to loud noise or debris
Wear full-coverage sunglasses when working outside
Test the noise of your working environment
Get your eyes and ears tested regularly
