Hearing Conservation Effectiveness

Details

• Personal Author:
  Neitzel R ; Rabinowitz PM
• Description:
  Overview: Noise induced hearing loss remains one of the most prevalent occupational conditions in industrialized and developing countries. In many countries, workplaces have instituted hearing conservation programs (HCPs) to reduce the occupational risk of NIHL. Despite existence of checklists to assess HCP quality and effectiveness, there remains no consensus regarding how to assess effectiveness of HCPs or the most effective program components. To seek an evidence-based approach to this issue we conducted a multi-site, mixed-method assessment of HCPs. Setting and Worker Groups: The Hearing Conservation Effectiveness study took place in a number of manufacturing facilities involved in primary aluminum production as well as secondary aluminum fabrication. At each facility, we examined the noise exposure and hearing loss experience of the hearing conservation program. Approaches: The study accomplished the following aims: Aim 1: Recruit 15 manufacturing facilities willing to assess their hearing conservation programs (HCPs). Aim 2: For each facility, perform quantitative analyses using a number of measures including test-test variability based on draft ANSI Standard S12.13, STS rates and rates of "early flag" audiometric indicators. Aim 3: For each facility perform qualitative on-site assessments of hearing conservation components using interviews, observations and focus groups. Use these data to determine compliance scores for each HCP component and gather contextual information about each hearing conservation program. Aim 4: Employ mixed methods to compare the quantitative measures of hearing outcomes (Aim 2) with the qualitative program assessments (Aim 3) to explore correlations among measures and observed vs. expected high frequency hearing loss (Aim 1). In addition to these aims, we analyzed relationships between noise levels and injury, as well as noise levels and hypertension, and also analyzed the costs of different components of the hearing conservation programs. Key Findings: Only a few items from the manager and health professional interviews correlated with hearing loss rates. For the employee survey, management commitment to hearing loss prevention and being counseled about hearing during annual hearing testing showed a strong association with hearing loss rates, and also reflected comments from the focus groups. Some of the focus group comments regarding management commitment also correlated with hearing loss rates. These findings indicate that while program managers are often the ones assessing HCPs, querying workers may yield greater value regarding program effectiveness. Our analysis suggests that management commitment and counseling of workers about hearing loss may be key factors in program effectiveness. A combination of qualitative and quantitative assessments appears to be useful for assessing program effectiveness. Expenditures on hearing conservation varied between sites, and expenditures on certain components such as fit testing may be relatively cost-effective. Additionally, this study found that noise exposures were declining over time in these manufacturing facilities. We also found that the cost of hearing conservation programs was significant, but that investments in particular aspects such as fit testing may be beneficial. Finally, we found an association between noise exposure and injury risk, but did not find significant association between noise exposure and hypertension. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Aluminum Compounds Environmental Exposure Hearing Loss Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced Manufacturing And Industrial Facilities Metal Workers Noise Noise, Occupational Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Aluminum Aluminum Compounds Aluminum Industry Audiological Testing Audiometry Auditory Protection Auditory System Exposure Levels Hearing Loss Hearing Loss Prevention Injuries Manufacturing Noise Induced Hearing Loss Risk Factors Work Environment Workers

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• Series:
  Grant Final Reports
• Publisher:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Final Grant Report
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 5 ; Washington
• 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:
  1-33
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20050324
• NTIS Accession Number:
  PB2018-100193
• 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, R01-OH-010132, 2017 Jul; :1-33
• Contact Point Address:
  Peter M. Rabinowitz MD MPH, Associate Professor, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Washington, 1959 NE Pacific St., Box 357234 Seattle, WA 98195
• Email:
  peterr7@uw.edu
• CAS Registry Number:
  Aluminum (CAS RN 7429-90-5)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2017
• Performing Organization:
  University of Washington
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Start Date:
  20130901
• Source Full Name:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• End Date:
  20170430
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:840225fbf6b50a9208517f9d695d72b9d476faab04484e93619d026381bb45a0682c27731acd3bb0b4c8e49819f6bbbed24c230a4d186f4646f76cc467307c0e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/218670/cdc_218670_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 634.07 KB ]