Farm Family Total Noise Exposure Assessment

Details

• Personal Author:
  Khuder S ; Milz SA ; Wilkins JR III
• Description:
  A pilot project was conducted to evaluate occupational and non-occupational noise exposures of three families living and working on farms in Northwest Ohio during planting season, growing season, and harvesting season. A total of nine family members (six adults and three children) participated in the pilot project. All nine participants completed three weeks of noise monitoring. Noise exposures were measured using both the OSHA and the NIOSH/ACGIH criteria. Adult noise exposures for on farm activities (occupational exposures) ranged from 81.2-89.3 dBA 8HR TWA during planting season, from 59.5-89.6 dBA 8HR TWA during growing season, and from 55.3-88.9 dBA 8HR TWA during harvesting season using the OSHA criteria and ranged from 84.3-89.9 dBA 8HR TWA during planting season, from 69.8-92.1 dBA 8HR TWA during growing season, and from 67.3-91.6 dBA 8HR TWA during harvesting season using the NIOSH/ACGIH criteria. Occupational exposures for the children ranged from 15.4-76.5 dBA 8HR TWA during planting season, from 50.9-67.1 dBA 8HR TWA during growing season, and from 79.9-81.2 dBA 8HR TWA during harvesting season using the OSHA criteria and ranged from 42.4-81.3 dBA 8HR TWA during planting season, from 64.5-77.6 dBA 8HR TWA during growing season, and from 83.7-85.5 dBA 8HR TWA during harvesting season using the NIOSH/ACGIH criteria. Non-occupational exposures were measured during many activities including off-farm activities, school, and an outdoor tractor pull. These L(eq) exposures ranged from 62.6-104.0 dBA for the adults and from 68.6-88.4 dBA for the children. For the adults, none of the occupational exposures exceeded the OSHA standard, but 10 of 45 exposures exceeded the NIOSH/ACGIH guidelines. The tasks performed during the elevated exposures included tilling/plowing, operating front end loader, harvesting, planting, and repair/maintenance. Similarly, for the children, none of the occupational exposures exceeded the OSHA standard, but 1 of 11 exposures exceeded the NIOSH/ACGIH guidelines. The task performed during the elevated exposure for the child was tilling/plowing while operating a tractor with mulcher and disc. For the non-occupational exposures, the highest exposures were recorded during the outdoor tractor pull. The results of this pilot project indicate that both occupational and non-occupational noise exposure could contribute to possible hearing loss in farm families living and working on farms in Northwest Ohio. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Agriculture Environmental Monitoring Family Farmers Hearing Hearing Loss Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced Noise Noise, Occupational Occupational Health Safety

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• Keywords:
  Agricultural-industry Agricultural-processes Agricultural-workers Exposure-assessment Families Hearing-conservation Hearing-disorders Hearing-impairment Hearing-loss Noise-exposure Noise-induced-hearing-loss Noise-levels Noise-sources Sound

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• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  OEP - Office of Extramural Programs
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-38
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20038555
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2011-109673
• Citation:
  Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, R03-OH-008000, 2007 Jun; :1-38
• Contact Point Address:
  Sheryl A. Milz, PhD, CIH, Assistant Professor, University of Toledo - Health Science Campus, College of Medicine, Department of Public Health & Preventive Medicine, 3015 Arlington Avenue, Toledo, OH 43614
• Email:
  sheryl.milz@utoledo.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2007
• NORA Priority Area:
  Research Tools and Approaches: Exposure Assessment Methods
• Performing Organization:
  Medical College of Ohio at Toledo
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20040401
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20070331
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b4a6e0d830faca55c58baf890e2449fb4a98b4f8b03644013cf07162b377bf39bdbf92c1b50e00f5d86d2aefa5622932f21b8560c95590ca42cc8ae6fd125233
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/218412/cdc_218412_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 241.63 KB ]