{"id":165354,"date":"2026-09-04T09:50:36","date_gmt":"2026-09-04T08:50:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/?p=165354"},"modified":"2026-09-04T09:50:36","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T08:50:36","slug":"citb-announces-support-deaf-awareness-training-construction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pbctoday.co.uk\/news\/hr-skills-news\/citb-announces-support-deaf-awareness-training-construction\/165354\/","title":{"rendered":"CITB announces support for deaf awareness training in construction"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Construction Industry Training Board is working with collaborators to create the first deaf awareness and hearing loss training programme in construction<\/h2>\n

The training, supported by CITB\u2019s Industry Impact Fund<\/a>, will bring together lived experience, behavioural science, health and safety expertise, and industry insight to create practical, impactful deaf awareness training.<\/p>\n

The programme was created in collaboration with Bovis, RNID, Unseen Aware, Safety in Design, and Heathrow.<\/p>\n

Mark Ainsworth, executive director of operations at Bovis, stated: \u201cToo many people across our sector are living with hearing loss, tinnitus or other hearing-related conditions.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy supporting this training initiative, we are helping to raise awareness of the risks associated with excessive noise exposure and equipping people with the knowledge needed to better protect themselves and their colleagues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over 300,000 construction workers live with hearing issues<\/h3>\n

An estimated 328,000 construction workers live with hearing impairments or tinnitus. With three in four construction workers exposed to hazardous noise levels, hearing loss is one of the industry\u2019s most significant health, safety, and inclusion challenges.<\/p>\n

The impact of this extends far beyond hearing, and untreated hearing loss can increase the risk of workplace accidents<\/a>, affect communication, reduce productivity, and create barriers to inclusion on site.<\/p>\n

Organisations will be trained in 8 areas relating to hearing loss<\/h3>\n

The pilot project will initially train at least 500 individuals across multiple organisations, including Bovis, Sir Robert McAlpine, Graham Builders, Kier, Wates, Ferrovial Construction Holdings Limited, Volker FitzPatrick, Mace, and Costain Group.<\/p>\n

These companies have all committed to delivering training at a site level and through their supply chain partners to reach people supervising and working on site.<\/p>\n

The training will include eight specialist free-of-charge training modules designed for individuals, managers, employers, and construction organisations, combining interactive e-learning, subtitled and BSL-supported videos provided by ITV and knowledge checks to maximise engagement and accessibility.<\/p>\n

Participants will learn how to:<\/p>\n