South Yorkshire Police Federation has called for better research into audio technology to ensure that police officers can use their earpieces safely.<\/p>\n
The radio earpieces worn by police officers may be harmful to their hearing, according to a research carried out by the University of Manchester.<\/p>\n
More than 45% of earpiece users reported experiencing signs of temporary hearing loss (muffled hearing or ringing in their ear) immediately after using an earpiece, which was more common when officers used higher volume-control settings, the study found.<\/p>\n
And links to long-term hearing problems were established. Earpiece use accompanied by immediate after-effects more than doubled an officer\u2019s risk of having tinnitus and raised the risk of a hearing loss diagnosis by 93%.<\/p>\n
South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent warned: \u201cThis is a tricky situation. We need officers to be able to listen to communications. I was on the beat before earpieces and not being able to hear the radio can leave you exposed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut there needs to be some proper research and resourcing into issues that do not cause these problems. Without it, there is the risk of litigation from any officers that end up with hearing loss or other knock-on effects.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said officers who have concerns about their hearing should talk to their local Federation Rep, Occupational Health and their GP, to make sure they are dealing with any issues sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n
And he called for more investment from the service to make sure this does not become a problem.<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cThere has to be something safe for officers that will not cause them problems later on. The service cannot be allowed to do things on the cheap at the risk of police officers\u2019 health.\u201d<\/p>\n