Evaluation of Noise Attenuation and Verbal Communication Capabilities Using Three Ear Insert Hearing Protection Systems Among Airport Maintenance Personnel

Details

• Personal Author:
  Carlson G ; Chung K ; McGlothlin, James D. ; Strickland E ; Wagoner L ; Zimmerman N
• Description:
  The goal of this project was to determine whether one type of earplug would allow a user to hear communication in a noisy environment better than two other types of earplugs. The three types of earplugs studied are newly available on the market. Sonomax SonoCustoms are custom fitted to the user. E-A-R Push-Ins are the newest form of foam earplugs, and Howard Leight SmartFits have an adaptable shape. One of the earplug manufacturers claimed to have improved verbal communications due to the design of the earplug. We hypothesized that the type of earplug providing better communication properties would have lower attenuation around the communication frequencies compared with the other types. To test this hypothesis, we used speech intelligibility and attenuation tests in the laboratory on 26 subjects, and real-time video exposure monitoring in the field (airport maintenance personnel) for visual communication cues. ANCOVA was used to analyze the data from the laboratory study. The type of earplug worn was not significant in the model (p-value 0.0849), nor was attenuation of the earplug (p-value 0.2379). Further analysis showed that attenuation did not differ significantly among earplugs (p-value 0.5903). Logistic regression was used to analyze the data from the field study. Again, the type of earplug was not significant in the model (p-value 0.0965). A comfort questionnaire determined that Howard Leight SmartFits and the E-A-R Push-Ins were more comfortable and easier to use than the Sonomax HPDs (p-value <0.0001). We found a definite difference between manufacturers' attenuation data and our attenuation data, especially in the frequencies for 125-1000 Hz. Also, there was no difference in frequency and overall attenuation among the HPDs. This resulted in no difference in communication abilities among the types of HPDs. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aircraft Communication Ear Hearing Noise Noise, Occupational Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Safety Sense Organs

  More +
• Keywords:
  Airport Personnel Attenuation Author Keywords: Airport Communication Communication Research Earplugs Ear Protectors Equipment Design Hearing Protection Hearing Protection Devices Noise Exposure Personal Protective Equipment PPE

  More +
• ISSN:
  1545-9624
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Indiana ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  114-122
• Volume:
  4
• Issue:
  2
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20054767
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Hyg 2007 Feb; 4(2):114-122
• Contact Point Address:
  Lisa Wagoner, Purdue University, School of Health Sciences, 550 Stadium Mall Drive, Room 1263F, West Lafayette, IN 47907
• Email:
  lwagoner@neo.rr.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2007
• Performing Organization:
  Purdue University, School of Health Sciences, West Lafayette, Indiana
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20010701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• End Date:
  20270630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:13b0c8392a2862c5a4d671b7af6f524502dbf1f16809c4a6918ab749bec293c60a8ccb19ac4b25a5f7246ecd4ac5ac785c01ada32129baea06aee60b42762bfc
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/217202/cdc_217202_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.04 MB ]