Employees using headphones/earbuds while working Cancel The title field is required!

1. Paul Davids

   

   0 posts
   
   9/23/2014 9:09 AM

   For all of my years as a superintendent, I have had a policy prohibiting the use of headphones to listen to music while working. I would like to hear about the policies at other facilities and your experiences around this subject. Do you allow them? If so, have you ever had any issues arise? If you do not allow them, why not? My concerns have always been the inability to hear a potential problem with a piece of equipment, or not hearing golfers.

   
   
   
   
2. David Brandenburg

   

   3 posts
   
   9/23/2014 10:09 AM

   We have allowed them for over 15 years with no problems so far. I think they make mowing tasks much easier and more enjoyable myself and the employee who doesn't notice a change in the mower while listening to music probably wouldn't notice the change without them.
   
   Our rules are simple, 1. Don't let fiddling with your device interfere with your work. 2. Keep the volumn down so you can hear changes in the equipment and 3. Not allowed when working near customers who may want to talk to you. ie; weeding by the clubhouse or tees, cleaning around yardage plates etc.

   
   
   
   
3. Paul Dowaschinski

   

   1 posts
   
   9/23/2014 11:09 AM

   Besides making mowing more enjoyable, headphones allow the operator to hear his/her phone.
   
   If I am operating the fairway, rough , tees or greens mower, I usually can not hear my phone ring. If my headphones are plugged into the phone (which has music via Pandora etc..), then I can hear the bosses call.

   
   
   
   
4. James Smith

   

   112 posts
   
   9/24/2014 8:09 AM

   Paul E Dowaschinski said: Besides making mowing more enjoyable, headphones allow the operator to hear his/her phone.
   
   If I am operating the fairway, rough , tees or greens mower, I usually can not hear my phone ring. If my headphones are plugged into the phone (which has music via Pandora etc..), then I can hear the bosses call.

   
   
   This is the same for myself also!

   
   
   
   
5. Richard Jensen

   

   0 posts
   
   9/24/2014 2:09 PM

   Not allowed here...search hearing protection, some good info from previous threads

   
   
   
   
6. Kyle Fick

   

   4 posts
   
   9/24/2014 3:09 PM

   I'm in agreement with the last post. Any info on actual noise reduction and hearing protection will claim it can be detrimental. I make this a safety lesson very often. But in the same breath, I really got sick of the constant fight of the "no headphones" rule we had in our policy and procedure manual. Now, we ask that as others mentioned, one in and one out to hear changes in the machinery and be able to be spoken too without yelling, and of course, at a comfortable noise level.
   
   If you can't beat them, join them.