The construction industry is a high risk industry for noise related ill health. Many construction processes are noisy. If you have to raise your voice to have a normal conversation when standing about 2 metres apart, for at least part of the day, then noise levels on the site may be at a level which could damage health. There could also be a problem if there are sudden extremely loud noises on the site, such as from cartridge operated tools, or if at the end of the day you notice that your hearing is muffled or your ears are ringing.
Quality of life can be badly affected by noise induced hearing loss. For example, affected people may find that:
Conversation becomes difficult or impossible.
They have trouble using the telephone.
They find it difficult to catch sounds like 't', 'd' and 's', and so confuse similar words.
They may suffer from permanent tinnitus (ringing, whistling, buzzing or humming in the ears) which can be a distressing condition and can lead to other problems, including depression and loss of sleep.
Their family complains about the television being too loud.