CAOHC Newsletter: UPDATE
International Noise Awareness Day
April 25, 2001 will mark the sixth annual International Noise Awareness Day, sponsored by the League for the Hard of Hearing. What started out as a local effort to address the increasing noise levels in New York City, quickly became an international event with participants in every state in the U.S. as well as 39 foreign countries.
The goal of International Noise Awareness Day remains the same since its inception - to educate the public about the harmful effects of noise on hearing, health and the quality of life. The League for the Hard of Hearing distributes packets of information to all participants who then coordinate activities in their places of business, schools and local communities. Media involvement has been extensive with coverage in national and local television, radio and print outlets.
While the goal of the Noise Center at the League for the Hard of Hearing, like that of CAOHC, is to inform the public about the hazards of noise all year round, International Noise Awareness provides the opportunity to join forces with other hearing conservationists and anti-noise activists worldwide to not only raise awareness about the dangers of noise, but offer solutions for protection against noise.
The Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation has been an active participant in International Noise Awareness Day for several years. CAOHC has publicized INAD in its newsletter UPDATE, resulting in numerous companies across the country offering educational programs on hearing conservation to their employees on INAD.
What
you can do on International Noise Awareness Day:
A variety of activities are planned for International Noise
Awareness Day. Among the many activities planned:
Free Hearing Screenings - Private audiologists and speech and hearing clinics will help to celebrate International Noise Awareness Day by providing free hearing screenings to the public. (Check www.lhh.org/noise for locations)
Dissemination of Hearing Protection - Hearing protection will be distributed on International Noise Awareness Day at hearing screenings, town meetings, various places of business and college campuses.
Town meetings to "Sound Off on Noise" - Town meetings will be scheduled in various communities on International Noise Awareness Day to provide a forum for community residents to voice their concerns about noise. Local police departments, representatives from the Department of Environmental Protection and local politicians will be invited to attend these meetings.
Publicity - Participants in International Noise Awareness Day will hold press conferences in their local areas. Press releases and public service announcements on television and radio stations will involve the media and help to promote the important message that noise hurts.
City/State Proclamations - Mayoral and Gubernatorial Proclamations in celebration of International Noise Awareness Day will be obtained.
Community Outreach - Develop Your Own Anti-Noise Group and speak out about the harmful effects of noise in your community. Analyze (or develop) your local noise codes and follow the Noise Center’s steps in handling a noise complaint.
Letter Writing Campaign - Participate in the Noise Center’s Letter Writing Campaign to re-establish the Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Noise Abatement & Control.
Participating in International Noise Awareness Day is easy. Simply contact the Noise Center at the League for the Hard of Hearing at 888-NOISE-88 or by email to noisectr@aol.com and request an INAD packet of materials. Use INAD as an opportunity to educate the people with whom you work about ways to protect their hearing at work, at home and in recreational activities. Consider visiting a local school and providing a lesson on noise and hearing. Hang posters in schools, work and stores. And, contact your local media. On International Noise Awareness Day we can come together and speak up on noise - to the ultimate success of all our efforts, across our many fields and disciplines.