Make Listening Safe Workstream

Introduction

To address the risks of hearing damage caused by unsafe listening practices, the World Health Organization (WHO) launched the "Make Listening Safe" initiative in 2015. This initiative aims to create a world where people of all ages can enjoy recreational listening without endangering their hearing.

To achieve this overarching goal, the World Hearing Forum was created to foster a robust and cohesive partnership among community-at-large members.^[1] The World Hearing Forum operates through five key workstreams, each contributing to the promotion of high-quality Ear and Hearing Care for everyone. These workstreams are: Make Listening Safe, World Hearing Day, External Relations, Membership Engagement, and Changemakers.

The primary goal of the Make Listening Safe workstream is to "ensure that no one's hearing is endangered by unsafe listening." To accomplish this, the workstream is structured with four main objectives, nine subgroups, and 15 coordinators, all working together to promote safe listening habits worldwide.

Make Listening Safe Initiative

The World Health Organization (WHO) launched the Make Listening Safe (MLS) initiative as part of the World Hearing Day celebrations on March 3, 2015. The main goal of this initiative is to ensure that people of all ages can enjoy music and other audio media in ways that do not pose a risk to their hearing.

MLS partnership activities among members of the World Hearing Forum are being coordinated by the Make Listening Safe Workstream, chaired by Katya Freire and Lidia Best.

Objectives

The four main objectives of the initiative are:

Raise awareness about the risks of exposure to high sound levels in recreational settings and through the use of personal audio devices.
Develop and implement public health policies that emphasize the importance of safe listening.
Strengthen partnerships between governments, civil society, and industry to promote safe listening practices.
Empower users and health professionals with knowledge about the risks of sound exposure and strategies for preventing hearing loss.

Materials and Newsletter

Materials related to this initiative and its goals, including a presentation, can be accessed through Wikimedia Commons. These materials are available on the following page Make Listening Safe Workstream.

The Make Listening Safe Workstream Newsletter is now available on Wikimedia Commons. Do you want to be in the next newsletters? Send your actions to mlsworkstream@gmail.com.

External links

References

↑ Curhan, Sharon G. (2019-01). "WHO World Hearing Forum: Guest Editorial: Ear and Hearing Care: A Global Public Health Priority". Ear & Hearing 40 (1): 1–2. doi:10.1097/AUD.0000000000000687. ISSN 0196-0202. https://journals.lww.com/00003446-201901000-00001.

[1] Curhan, Sharon G. (2019-01). "WHO World Hearing Forum: Guest Editorial: Ear and Hearing Care: A Global Public Health Priority". Ear & Hearing 40 (1): 1–2. doi:10.1097/AUD.0000000000000687. ISSN 0196-0202. https://journals.lww.com/00003446-201901000-00001.

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