TORONTO, Ont. – The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), Ontario’s workers’ compensation authority, has launched a new awareness campaign to draw attention to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), a common occupational risk. The Board announced in a Jan. 18 news release that its campaign would consist of online videos demonstrating the effect of NIHL and an interactive website, ToneItDown.ca, which allows visitors to test how their hearing compares to that of the average person. Manufacturing and construction were the sectors that submitted the most approved WSIB claims for NIHL over the previous decade, stated the release, adding that more than half of all the workers diagnosed with NIHL are older than 65. “Unlike cuts and bruises, NIHL happens gradually, is rarely painful and often takes years of exposure to develop,” WSIB president and CEO Tom Teahen said in a media statement. “Our goal is to encourage everyone to factor hearing protection into their safety practices at work.” NIHL is a type of permanent hearing loss resulting from excessive noise exposure.