Improving the Assessment of Noise Exposure and Warning Signal Audibility on Construction Sites

Details

• Personal Author:
  Esmaeili B ; Hammond C ; Karatas A ; Samardzic N
• Description:
  Fifty-one percent of construction workers are exposed to hazardous noise that can cause permanent noise induced hearing loss (NIHL), and 52% do not wear a hearing protection device (HPD). Hearing loss could be reduced more effectively with more accurate measurements of noise exposure. The common occupational noise exposure measurement devices are single-channel noise dosimeters worn on a worker's shoulder, which are not advanced enough to capture and analyze complex sounds that pose threats to workers' hearing. This research proposes a more accurate noise exposure and audibility assessment by using binaural (two-ear) measurements, paving the way for more effective noise characterization and hearing loss prevention in loud workplaces, as well as helping workers identify the source of warning signals. The difference between these two measures would significantly affect interpretations of hearing loss risk (dose) calculations. This project's results showed clinically significant differences (>3 dB) between the auditory risk assessment using current state-of-the art and proposed binaural measurements. A preliminary acoustic perception study was conducted in a laboratory setting using human participants and binaural measurements of the warning signal and noise of the construction equipment. It was found that localization of the audible warning signals could not be identified. The findings from this project are crucial for highlighting the importance of binaural measurements and, more generally, of accurate assessment of noise exposure and auditory warning signal perception of the workers on a construction site. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Construction Industry Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced Noise Noise, Occupational Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Acoustical Measurements Construction Workers Exposure Assessment Noise Exposure Noise Induced Hearing Loss Warning Signals
• Publisher:
  CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Cooperative Agreement
• Genre:
  Guidance
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; Michigan ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-20
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070039
• Citation:
  Silver Spring, MD: CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training, 2023 Feb; :1-20
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• NORA Priority Area:
  Construction
• Performing Organization:
  CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring, Maryland
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20090901
• Source Full Name:
  Improving the assessment of noise exposure and warning signal audibility on construction sites
• End Date:
  20240831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6551be8dca2faa7136c3e180554e105898a9c9794e2103b57955c93eec289a43db4db371963d03f798a20ec94eb83c8fe3c79758a4fc6fe2438b48ffe426be37
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208341/cdc_208341_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.65 MB ]