Hearing Protector Use in Noise Exposed Workers: A Retrospective Look at 1983

Details

• Personal Author:
  Davis, Rickie R. ; Sieber, W. Karl
• Description:
  Although hearing protectors have been available for more than 60 years, little field surveillance has been done to assess their appropriate wear in noisy occupational environments. This study examined historical field survey data to determine whether workers use hearing protection when exposed to loud noise. Data from the 1981-83 NIOSH National Occupational Exposure Survey were analyzed to determine whether workers in noise greater than or equal to 85 dBA were using hearing protection. The study also looked at the effect of company personal protective equipment (PPE) policies on hearing protector compliance. This study found that, in 1981-83, an estimated 4.1 million industrial workers were exposed to noise greater than or equal to 85 dBA. Of these, 41 % were wearing some form of hearing protection. This percentage varied from 79% of workers exposed in SIC 76 (Miscellaneous Repair Service) to less than 1% in Communications (SIC 48), Wholesale Trade Nondurable Goods (SIC 51), and Automotive Dealers & Service Stations (SIC 55). Whether an establishment had a written policy on wearing PPE seemed to make no difference, because there appeared to be no tie between the percentage of workers wearing of hearing protection and presence of a PPE policy. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Hearing Noise Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Safety Workplace
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Hearing Protection Exposure-limits Hearing-level Hearing-protection National Institute For Occupational Safety And Health National Occupational Exposure Survey Noise Noise-analysis Noise-exposure Surveillance Workers Workplace-studies

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• ISSN:
  0002-8894
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DART - Division of Applied Research and Technology ; DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  199-204
• Volume:
  63
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20022410
• Citation:
  Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 2002 Mar/Apr; 63(2):199-204
• Contact Point Address:
  NIOSH, Division of Applied Research and Technology; 4676 COlumbia Parkway, M/S C-27, Cincinnati, OH 45226
• Email:
  rrd1@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2002
• NORA Priority Area:
  Disease and Injury: Hearing Loss
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:5f7b2438a28e8200a24e7720d259d3ffaf41f46ff51f73899948bd6b2d5febb32b0a0c64fe5d87f5b6a7e2765fe8a951e4dac7e80d2f036cc3d26075eb73c42f
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/199201/cdc_199201_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 314.94 KB ]