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The ear is an important and complex organ of the human body. By receiving sound information and transmitting it to the brain for analysis, it allows us to communicate with the environment around us. Also, part of the ear contributes to the balance of the body.
The ear is also an extremely fragile organ and we must take care of it. Damaging the ear can cause hearing loss which can lead to deafness, an irreversible consequence.
The ear is composed of 3 parts:
When a sound is received by the auricle, it passes through a precise course through the three parts of the ear. During this journey, it is amplified and transformed so that it is understood by the brain.
Sound is captured by the auricle and then transmitted by way of vibrations into the ear canal up to the ear drum.
These vibrations are transmitted to the middle ear where they are amplified by the hammer, the anvil and the stirrup and transferred to the middle ear. The middle ear also serves to protect the inner ear from loud sounds, greater than 80dB.
The stirrup presses on the cochlea which is in the inner ear. Inside the cochlea there are hair cells the hairs of which transform vibrations into electrical signals which are then interpreted by the brain.
The difference between the workings of an ear with hearing loss and a healthy ear is in the hair cells. These cells are very fragile and can be destroyed abruptly or gradually when subjected to significant sound intensities. The problem? They do not regenerate and can not heal nor be replaced.
When a hair cell is damaged, the signal transmitted to the brain becomes imprecise: it becomes difficult to hear properly.
On the other hand, when the hair cell is destroyed, the transmission of the signal to the brain is prevented so we do not hear anymore. This hearing loss is irreparable.
A decrease in hearing is not without consequence for its victims. Indeed, we observe different forms of disorders related to hearing loss.
Social problems in the household of someone who hears badly translate into:
We can also see physical problems in those suffering reduced hearing:
Psychologically, people who are hard of hearing or deaf are vulnerable and therefore may be subject to stress due to a lack of perception of the world around them and therefore feel insecure.
Generally, these people also have low morale, which is the result of lack of confidence and low self-esteem, feelings of shame, and so on. Sometimes this can lead to depression.
As a result, individuals with hearing loss may experience fatigue and a lack of appetite.
It's essential to adopt best practice both at work and at home in order to prevent hearing loss.
In the construction industry, there are generally high noise levels. To limit the impact of noise some good practices are required:
In shared offices noise is not necessarily a danger but it can be a nuisance to some people. Such noise nuisance can lead to lack of concentration and then to lost productivity and generate stress and fatigue.
To avoid such problems, we can choose to reduce the building's noise levels by absorbent partitions or panels.
There are other possible solutions like disposable ear plugs, sound isolating head phones or made to measure noise reducing filters. One can also decide to share things that bother us with our colleagues so that everyone is aware of such issues.
Noise is everywhere, even at home. Think of DIY activities (drill, hammer, electric saw, etc.) or gardening (clippers, hedge trimmers, chainsaws, etc.), when we listen to music or when we vacuum.
Again good habits can be adopted to prevent hearing loss:
Following best practice protects your ears and limits the risk of hearing loss.
Protecting your ears is important when you understand how they work. Many simple actions can help prevent hearing loss.
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