Noise

See HERE for the Employer’s duties.

The suppression of noise does not seem to be high on the agenda of modern industrial machinery designers. Unfortunately, worker victims of the noise find it all too easy to suffer easily-perceptible permanent hearing loss as a consequence. That is, irreversible damage can occur without the victim being aware of it. Dangerous noise can be sudden or prolonged. We have all found ourselves temporarily deafened by noise. Human hearing can deal with many such instances, if they are infrequent. Admittedly, some noises are so extreme that a single instance will cause permanent damage. While this is not the typical cause of hearing loss, due to the way the ear functions, sudden or intermittent noises can be more harmful than continuous noise. (more…)

I received my copy of the Balance in the Criminal Law Review Group’s Interim Report but did not have an opportunity to read it before now. As I understand it, I received a copy because I made a submission, which is a civilized response, although tempered by the absence of an invitation to make more submissions. Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading the Interim Report.

It certainly carries an air of authority and no clearly visible axe to grind, as we might understandably perceive in the case of the Minister for Justice Equality and Law Reform (the Tanaiste) producing such a document. (more…)