Workers in Minnesota may find risks of occupational disease coming from an unexpected source. In particular, one study carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that loud and noisy places of work are associated with high blood pressure and high correlation among workers who experience repeated exposure to these sounds. Not only are these disorders highly correlated with noisy workplaces, but in many cases, those workplaces were responsible for the development of these conditions. Both pose a significant threat of heart disease, the leading killer of Americans.
While many people know that loud noises in the workplace can pose a risk of hearing loss, the health costs can be far broader. Around 41 million individuals, or 25 percent of the country’s workforce, have common, regular exposure to loud noises on the job. Some effects of this type of noise are also well-known, including sleep disruption, reduced cognitive function and the triggering of migraine headaches among those who suffer. Hearing protection and the reduction of loud noises are not only important to protect workers’ hearing but also in preventing the development of occupational disease.
In one study, around 12 percent of workers regularly exposed to noise on the job suffered from hearing difficulties while 24 percent had high blood pressure and 28 percent showed elevated cholesterol results. When they examined the cases, researchers classified workplace noise as responsible for 58 percent of the hearing loss cases, 14 percent of those involving high blood pressure and 9 percent of the cholesterol issues.
Loud noise is only one of many dangers that workers can face on the job, from chemical exposure to injuries involving machinery. For people who have developed an occupational disease due to the conditions in their workplace, a workers’ compensation lawyer may help them protect their rights and work to secure the compensation to which they are entitled.