Alternative Metrics for Noise Exposure Among Construction Workers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Goldman B ; Neitzel R ; Seixas, Noah S. ; Sheppard L
• Description:
  Although the exposure-response relationships for noise-induced hearing loss are relatively well established, there is not complete agreement on which metrics of noise exposure best represent risk of hearing damage. In particular, while L(eq), based on a 3 dB exchange rate (ER) is used by most agencies, US OSHA's standard is based on the L(avg), which uses a 5 dB ER. In addition, peak levels of exposure, which are commonly found in some industries, including construction, are believed to increase risk above that predicted by the L(eq). This paper presents an analysis of a large database of noise exposures among construction workers, comparing several noise metrics, and their application to a cohort of construction workers. Metrics examined were the L(avg), L(eq) and L(max), expressing average levels of exposure across an exposure interval. Two novel metrics were derived from these monitored metrics, L(eq)/L(avg) and L(max)/L(eq), as measures of exposure variability and 'peakiness', respectively. A total of 730 workshifts, including data on 361 492 min of exposure to workers in nine trades were examined. Correlations between average metrics (L(eq), L(avg) and L(max)) are generally very high, while the variability metrics are poorly correlated with either average levels, or with each other, indicating that they characterize different aspects of exposure. Alternative models for estimating exposure for the cohort were considered and the use of a task-within-trade specific mean level was adopted. The task-specific estimates of exposure using the various metrics will be applied to the cohort's work history to explore the importance of these alternative metrics in estimating risk of noise-induced damage. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Environmental Monitoring Hearing Loss Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced Noise Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Noise Construction-industry Construction-workers Construction Workers Exposure-assessment Exposure Assessment Exposure Metrics Hearing-disorders Hearing-loss Noise-exposure Noise-induced-hearing-loss Occupational-exposure Occupational Noise Exposure Risk-analysis Risk-factors

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• ISSN:
  0003-4878
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 10 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  493-502
• Volume:
  49
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20028395
• Citation:
  Ann Occup Hyg 2005 Aug; 49(6):493-502
• Contact Point Address:
  Noah Seixas, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-7234
• Email:
  nseixas@u.washington.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2005
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19990930
• Source Full Name:
  Annals of Occupational Hygiene
• End Date:
  20100831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5b57e787c1f21d4a36723001a9761e00502f9093bf866470d2e1163e6fdba8e0800f05a5958e1a098a38bd799f549b2911afde8380d1b13277ee444f64ead406
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/189846/cdc_189846_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 322.95 KB ]