Rugby star Best wants farmers to hear his message
FORMER Ireland rugby captain Rory Best and his farming father John Best have teamed up with Specsavers this Farm Safety Week, to highlight the impact that excessive noise exposure can have on your hearing.
Agricultural workers experience one of the highest rates of hearing loss caused by loud noises on the farm. With over 137,500 farms in Ireland and more than a quarter of a million people working in agriculture in Ireland. Farms can be very noisy work environments with a number of daily tasks exposing farmers to excessive noise at decibel levels that can cause serious damage.
Rory and his father John are keen to raise awareness of this important issue among the wider farming community.
‘A son of a farmer and now a farmer myself, I know the risks on the farm that can have a serious impact on a person’s hearing,’ Rory says.
‘From machinery to the sounds of the farm animals, there are so many potential hazards for people to be mindful of. They may seem like every day sounds from the farm but continuous exposure to these sounds, especially without hearing protection, can cause long term and irreversible damage.’
Rory’s father John Best is one of the many people in the farming community who has hearing loss as a result of his working life on the farm. John sought help and has noticed a huge difference in his personal and working life after being fitted with hearing aids.
‘I went to Specsavers about a year ago when I found myself starting to struggle to hear full sentences and missing what some of my grandchildren were saying to me,’ he explains. ‘Seeking help and getting the hearing aids has been life changing. It’s given me a fuller and richer quality of life off the farm and it’s actually helped me to feel safer on the farm too, confident in my hearing when discussing a particular job.’
John says there are many who are reluctant to wear hearing protection on a farm, but it’s so important to protect your hearing from damage. He wishes he had done so earlier.
‘I’ve worked on a farm all of my life. Back in the day, you wouldn’t believe the noise of a tractor! Thankfully we have seen so many advances in managing noise on the farm, however there are still some very real risks out there. But being proactive about protecting your hearing to these risks wouldn’t be a top priority for many.’
Rory has also noticed an impact on his hearing. ‘Using hearing protection just wasn’t a major concern when I was younger on the farm. You just took your hearing for granted and assumed you’d be fine. I failed to use hearing protection and I’ve already noticed the impact of that now at the age of 38. I’m thankful now that I’m older and wiser, I can now ensure hearing protection is part of my daily safety check when on the farm.’
Orla Wash, Specsavers Ireland audiologist, says Specsavers wants to have open and honest conversations about hearing loss and its impact. See specsavers.ie for details.