Costs and Effectiveness of Hearing Conservation Programs at 14 US Metal Manufacturing Facilities

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cantley LF ; Galusha D ; Neitzel RL ; Rabinowitz PM ; Sayler SK
• Description:
  OBJECTIVE: This study characterised overall and specific costs associated with hearing conservation programmes (HCPs) at US metal manufacturing sites, and examined the association between these costs and several noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) outcomes. DESIGN: We interviewed personnel and reviewed records at participating facilities. We also measured noise for comparison to the ten-year average of measurements made by each facility. NIHL outcomes assessed included rates of standard threshold shifts (STS) and high-frequency hearing loss, as well as prevalence of hearing impairment, for each participating facility. We used linear regression to identify per-person HCP costs that best predicted the NIHL outcomes. STUDY SAMPLE: We evaluated 14 US metal manufacturing facilities operated by a single company. RESULTS: Annual HCP costs ranged from roughly $67,000 to $397,000 (average $308 +/- 80 per worker). Our full-shift noise measurements (mean 83.1 dBA) showed good agreement with the facilities' measurements (mean 82.6 dBA). Hearing impairment prevalence was about 15% overall. Higher expenditures for training and hearing protector fit-testing were significantly associated with reduced STS prevalence. Higher training expenditures were also related to lower hearing impairment prevalence and high-frequency hearing loss rates. CONCLUSIONS: HCP costs were substantial and variable. Increased workplace spending on training and fit-testing may help minimise NIHL. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Hearing Hearing Loss Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Noise Noise, Occupational Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Safety Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Noise Fit Testing Hearing Conservation Hearing Conservation/Hearing Loss Prevention Hearing Loss Hearing Loss Prevention Hearing Protection Hearing Threshold Manufacturing Medical Audiology Metal Industry Metal Industry Workers Noise Exposure Noise Induced Hearing Loss Noise Measurement Noise Protection Psychoacoustics/Hearing Science Training

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• ISSN:
  1499-2027
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Connecticut ; Michigan ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  57
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20053220
• Citation:
  Int J Audiol 2018 Feb; 57(Suppl 1):S3-S11
• Contact Point Address:
  Richard L. Neitzel, 1415 Washington Heights, 6611D SPH I, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109
• Email:
  rneitzel@umich.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20130901
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Audiology
• Supplement:
  1
• End Date:
  20170430
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f10ef52700fdaef9716d70e9a64f4928aa1950ad6729a6850659ed87b19dbf754bc4b774c533a63cb465e684767f486ecc6c9761c61307c06f3a1aa444a60590
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/216020/cdc_216020_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 995.02 KB ]