CONSTRUCTION FIRM JOINS FORCES WITH SMART TECH COMPANY TO SET A NEW BENCHMARK FOR HEARING PROTECTION

One of the UK’s major construction companies, Galliford Try, aims to set a new industry standard by investing in a new hearing protection solution produced by Smart Technology company Eave, in a major effort to prevent occupational deafness.

Occupational deafness is the most common workplace disease, and, of the nine million people in the UK who are deaf, exposure to noise is the leading cause. Increasing evidence shows that most hearing protection on the market is inadequate – the UK’s Health and Safety Executive reported that 40% of users supposedly wearing hearing protection are not safe because the defenders are not worn correctly or are removed in order to hear.

Galliford Try has partnered with Eave, a Smart Technology company which designs digitally connected ear defenders and noise mapping software, enabling employers to literally see the noise across their sites. Eave headsets also use ‘Hear-Through’ technology, allowing wearers to hear environmental sound whilst being protected in noisy environments, improving both safety and productivity.

Lincoln Eastern Bypass Roundabout

The use of IoT (‘Internet of Things’) technology to accurately measure and pinpoint noise is also game-changing for health and safety in the workplace, marking the end of manual checking and over-protection. Galliford Try will be able to see exactly where noise hotspots are on their sites, allowing them to efficiently eliminate the hazard at source. 

Following a successful trial of the system at the Lincoln Eastern Bypass, Galliford Try is now introducing the technology at a new site on the M1, with a long-term intention to improve hearing protection across all their sites.

“Our ambition is to use this level of hearing protection across all our projects,” said Mark Bridges, Health and Safety Manager for Galliford Try. “We want to be at the forefront of the movement towards better hearing conservation. This is such a pressing issue for the construction industry and it’s our responsibility to identify the best technology to eradicate the risk. There is enough information out there now to show that most ear defenders are not up to the job and that smart hearing conservations systems like this are the future.”

“We are delighted with the success of the Lincoln trial and that Galliford Try has now become a valued partner. Together we are committed to raising the bar for the standard of hearing protection in the UK construction industry and transforming the way noise in the workplace is managed. Our mission at Eave has always been to prevent the devastating impact of noise induced hearing loss, and with this contract we are one step closer to that goal,” said Dr David Greenberg, Eave founder and CEO.

Sources: http://www.hse.gov.uk/research/rrpdf/rr720.pdf

About Eave

Eave is a smart technology company created to help with the prevention of avoidable deafness through the monitoring of, and protection against, damaging noise levels. Founded by clinical and research audiologist, Dr. David Greenberg, Eave’s mission is to prevent occupational hearing loss, while raising awareness of the isolating and often debilitating impact of deafness.