Hear and Now: Noise Safety Challenge

Occupational hearing loss can be a side-effect in many industries through exposure to direct and indirect noise agents. Direct noise agents can be anything from hearing a jackhammer while working on a construction site to talking loudly through a headset. Indirect noise agents are bit more elusive. They can come from working with solvents or certain metals. According to The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), “Approximately 22 million U.S. workers are exposed to hazardous noise levels at work, and an additional 9 million are exposed to ototoxic chemicals. An estimated $242 Million is spent annually on worker’s compensation for hearing loss disability.”

This month, OSHA launched their contest, “Hear and Now”, in which the public can submit their ideas and inventions to help prevent hearing loss in the workplace. All ideas must be submitted via Challenge.gov by Friday, September 30, 2016. From there, the top 10 ideas will be selected and the creator will pitch their ideas to an investor/judge panel at the Noise Safety Challenge Event on Oct. 27th. If your idea is chosen, you will get noticed by NIOSH Research 2 Practice and will have a chance to paten your product.