One out of every ten persons in the United States suffers from hearing loss, which impairs an individual's ability to identify and interpret regular speech. One of the most common causes of hearing loss is excessive noise exposure. This may be seen in industrial areas, traffic, manufacturing plants, and mines. Workers at these facilities are subjected to excessive noise levels, which might result in long-term hearing damage. There are many basic successful hearing conservation programs in place at various industrial and construction sites, however, these rely on the use of hearing protection equipment rather than methods to limit exposure to excessive noise levels. According to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in the United States, the incidence of hearing impairment among teenagers was 5.3-6.0 percent between 2000 and 2012. Some of the occupational decibel levels and incidence rates of hearing loss at age 50 include 105dB and 30 percent and 36 percent, respectively, at industrial sites and farming. The decibel level at construction sites is 120dB, and around 60% of workers suffer from hearing damage.
Despite low awareness of hearing protection in the Asia Pacific, the region's hearing protection market is anticipated to develop significantly in the near future, thanks to increased expenditure on strengthening health and safety regulations in countries such as India and China. Agriculture, mining, construction, manufacturing, utilities, transportation, and the military are among the industries where workers are exposed. Many hearing protection devices have been created to reduce sound exposure by allowing allowable decibel levels that do not produce any harmful effects.
Though it is well understood that hearing loss is not a life-threatening health problem, it does have a significant influence on an individual's quality of life. In the United States, around 12% of the entire population suffers from hearing loss induced by loud noise. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration acknowledged the need of an annual hearing test for workers to have a correct and speech recognition comprehension at work.