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Winners have been selected in the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) contest to develop a solution to prevent or mitigate the hazards of workplace noise exposure. The Noise Safety Challenge Final was held at on October 27^th this year in partnership with the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

There were 10 finalists selected to travel to the final and pitch their inventions to reduce hearing loss at work. Nick Laperle and Dr. Jeremie Voix from eers were awarded first place. They created custom-fit earpieces for workers that provide protection, communicate with the worker and monitors noise levels. Brendon Dever and his company, Heads Up Display Inc., won second place for their wearable sensor that can detect noise levels and convey alerts to workers with color-coded warning lights. Madeline Bennett and her company Otogear won third place. Their device is an attachment to silicone earplugs that has interchangeable designs like sports teams or business logos.

The contest asked designers to develop a technology that would overcome the barriers that many employees and employers face when it comes to hearing loss prevention measures. Too often employers do not enforce the rules and employees do not wear protection. Employers may take off their protection when talking to co-workers or employers and that short amount of time can cause harmful exposure. Workers and employers may not even know their workplace is too loud, or their hearing protection may not be adequate for the level of noise they are experiencing.

There are more than twenty-two million workers exposed to dangerous noise levels at work, and companies paid over $1.5 million in penalties for not providing proper hearing protection. Hearing loss is permanent and even short-term exposure to noise can cause tinnitus.

Read more about the contest here.