Prevalence of Hearing Loss Among Noise-Exposed US Workers Within the Utilities Sector, 2010–2019

Details

• Personal Author:
  Masterson, Elizabeth A. ; Themann, Christa L.
• Description:
  Objective: This study's objective was to estimate hearing loss prevalence for noise-exposed US Utilities workers. Methods: In this cross-sectional study of a retrospective cohort, audiograms were examined for 1.3 million workers (13,595 within utilities) from 2010-2019. Hearing loss prevalence and adjusted risk as compared with a reference industry were estimated. Results: The hearing loss prevalence for noise-exposed Utilities workers (25%) was higher than for noise-exposed workers in all industries combined (20%). Some subsectors surpassed the prevalence for all industries combined and/or had adjusted risks significantly higher than the reference industry. The highest prevalence subsectors were Hydroelectric Power Generation (37%) and steam and Air-Conditioning Supply (29%). Conclusions: While often overlooked, noise-exposed workers in this sector have among the highest prevalences of hearing loss and significantly higher risks. Increased attention and better hearing conservation strategies are needed. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cohort Studies Epidemiology Hearing Loss Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced Noise Noise, Occupational Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Occupational Hearing Loss Cohort Studies Cross Sectional Studies Electric Power Generation Hazardous Noise Hearing Loss Hydroelectric Power Generation Natural Gas Distribution Noise Exposure Power Distribution Power Generation Surveillance Utility Workers

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• ISSN:
  1076-2752
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  66
• Issue:
  8
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069604
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Med 2024 Aug; 66(8):648-653
• Contact Point Address:
  Elizabeth A. Masterson, PhD, CPH, COHC, Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1090 Tusculum Avenue, MS-R17, Cincinnati, OH 45226
• Email:
  EMasterson@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1051688603d0bd71bcd33e120e9f4ea5b76410d21ffea5e8aea6ab776cc6b442b927446d3e9219fc7f7b8420cbf5e33936eb5e27b1e7fe00b28af8476852d3df
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208004/cdc_208004_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 153.02 KB ]