The Costain-Skanska joint venture (CSjv) has mandated active hearing protection with integrated noise monitoring across all its HS2 sites from 1 September.
The move came after CSjv trialled smart ear defenders from technology firm Eave as part of the HS2 Innovation programme.
The trial began in 2019, when Eave and CSjv won Innovate UK funding from the Department of Transport to test their hearing conservation solution with HS2.
Eave’s active ear defenders use ‘hear-through’ technology, that, unlike passive protection, allow the wearer to continue to hear environmental sound, improving the safety of workers. These smart headsets also monitor and map noise exposure, analysing the data in real time to provide information about each worker’s noise exposure across a site.
Now CSjv subcontractors have been invited to join a webinar on 28 July to find out more about the mandate and how to implement active hearing protection with integrated noise monitoring on site.
CSjv occupational health lead Sandra Winters said: “CSjv aims to support HS2’s mission to eliminate the causes of the top five occupational diseases in construction. Our trial with Eave gave measurable results that radically improved our hearing protection measures on site. We are now implementing this change across all our HS2 sites to ensure a greater level of safety for our operatives. We are immensely proud to bring new innovation to the industry, spearheading major change in health and safety PPE.”
Dr. David Greenberg, Eave CEO, said: “It has been a great pleasure to work with CSjv, Innovate UK and HS2 to showcase how innovative smart tech solutions can do so much more than conventional hearing protection to manage noise on site. Their support has been fundamental in the development of our products, testing our active ear defenders and noise monitoring equipment. We are now working with all CSjv subcontractors to ensure they are ready for the 1 September deadline, working together to protect the hearing of workers in hazardous noise.”
