Sounding the Alarm Hearing Loss Risks in Tree Care By Mara Watts and Matt Smithmier
Hearing loss is a lingering souvenir from Alex Kun- drat’s lifelong career in the tree care industry. The condition affects his family, his relationships, and even his role as a firefighter in Cleveland, Ohio. As the founder of Speak Easy Communication Solutions , Kundrat’s battle with hearing loss changed the course of his career. “There might be 10 guys around the table, with three or four different conversations going. I can’t even follow one of them with all the noise,” he said. “They start to tell me something and then just shake their heads and walk away.” Kundrat’s hearing loss almost cost him his firefight- ing job and has grown significantly worse in the years since. He especially has trouble with “sh” and “ph” sounds, and crowds only exacerbate the issue. “I just tune out because it takes a lot of energy to basically decode what people are saying,” he said. “If people are just jibber-jabbering or there’s a TV going, I can’t follow it.” He’s not alone: In fact, arborists are at a high risk for hearing loss because of their regular exposure
to loud equipment and tools — especially chainsaws and chippers. Without proper hearing protection, arborists risk long-term damage. WHY ARBORISTS FACE A HIGHER RISK OF HEARING DAMAGE To protect these workers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires any employee exposed to an average noise level of 85 decibels (dBA) or greater over eight hours to wear hearing protection. The administration also pro- hibits noise exposures at or above 115 dBA unless proper hearing protection is used. “Tree care workers are at a much higher risk because they work outdoors where there are no walls or barriers to block noise,” said Ross Cush- ing, Au.D., board-certified clinical audiologist and founder and CEO of Live Better Hearing + Balance . “They’re also right next to loud equipment like chainsaws and stump grinders. Combining long workdays with proximity to high-decibel machin- ery makes this profession especially dangerous for hearing health.”
22 | ArborTIMES™ Winter 2025
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