The Contribution of Focus Groups in the Evaluation of Hearing Conservation Program (HCP) Effectiveness

Details

• Personal Author:
  Bischoff BJ ; Colligan, Michael J. ; Prince, Mary M. ; Stephenson, Carol M.
• Description:
  Problem: Exclusive reliance on such practices as policy review, audiometric testing audits, and noise surveillance to evaluate the effectiveness of workplace hearing conservation programs (HCP) fails to capture the impact of these programs as experienced by workers at the "shop floor" and offers little insight into the reasons and potential remedies for noted deficiencies. Methods: A qualitative approach for evaluating industrial HCPs (and their various components) is discussed using three industrial populations as case studies. For each study population, this paper illustrates how focus groups, comprised of line workers and supervisors, were used to clarify and augment information gathered through more traditional program assessments to provide a more enriched picture of hearing conservation practices. Descriptive data on plant hearing conservation program practices at each plant are presented with a comparison of proactive elements of each program relative to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hearing Conservation Amendment (HCA) requirement and to internal plant policy. Results: Yearly program evaluation with input from all end-users is important in the process of hearing loss prevention. The qualitative assessment outlined in this paper serves as a basis for future quantitative assessments of HCP effectiveness using hearing threshold data and noise exposure assessments to examine changes in hearing levels as a function of noise exposure and other risk factors for hearing loss. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Hearing Hearing Loss Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced Noise Noise, Occupational Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Program Evaluation Hearing-conservation Hearing-disorders Hearing-impairment Hearing-loss Hearing-protection Hearing Conservation Hearing Loss Noise-control Noise-exposure Noise-induced-hearing-loss Noise-measurement

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• ISSN:
  0022-4375
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies ; EID - Education and Information Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  91-106
• Volume:
  35
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20026100
• Citation:
  J Safety Res 2004 Jan; 35(1):91-106
• Contact Point Address:
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), 4676 Colombia Parkway, MSR 16, Cincinnati, OH 45226
• Email:
  mprince@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2004
• NORA Priority Area:
  Disease and Injury: Hearing Loss
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Safety Research
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:08d9ae543288f8500afb1091a53257281af87be92bd09685d4b78978d91d7118fde74a54a7941ad40e35644fa5132360fd2571f467c40ddb30fcb4771c529740
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/197191/cdc_197191_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 201.35 KB ]