Evaluation of the HearWell Pilot Program: A Participatory Total Worker Health® Approach to Hearing Conservation

Details

• Personal Author:
  Cavallari JM ; Dugan AG ; Garza JL ; Henning RA ; Namazi S ; Punnett, Laura ; Suleiman AO
• Description:
  Our objective was to pilot test HearWell, an intervention created to preserve hearing among highway maintainers, by using a participatory Total Worker Health(R) (TWH) approach to designing, implementing and evaluating interventions. Regional maintenance garages were randomized to control (n = 6); HearWell (n = 4) or HearWell Design Team (n = 2) arms. Maintainer representatives from the HearWell Design Team garages identified barriers to hearing health and collaborated to design interventions including a safety leadership training for managers, a noise hazard management scheme to identify noise levels and indicate the hearing protection device (HPD) needed, and a comprehensive HearWell training video and protocol. These worker-designed interventions, after manager input, were delivered to the HearWell Design Team and the HearWell garages. Control garages received standard industry hearing conservation training. Periodic surveys of workers in all 12 garages collected information on the frequency of HPD use and a new hearing climate measure to evaluate changes in behaviors and attitudes over the study period and following interventions. An intention-to-treat approach was utilized; differences and trends in group HPD use and hearing climate were analyzed using a mixed-effects model to account for repeated measures from individual participants. The HearWell Design Team maintainers reported the highest frequency of HPD use. Hearing climate improved in each group 6 months following intervention implementation, with the largest increase and highest value for the HearWell Design Team workers. The HearWell pilot intervention showed promising results in improving HPD use through a participatory TWH approach to hearing conservation. Furthermore, results suggest that employee participation in hearing conservation programs may be necessary for maximal effectiveness. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Environmental Exposure Hearing Hearing Loss Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced Maintenance Noise Noise, Occupational Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Staff Development Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Total Worker Health Exposure Levels Hazards Hearing Conservation Hearing Loss Prevention Hearing Protection Hearing Protection Device Intervention Maintenance Workers Noise Exposure Noise Induced Hearing Loss Noise Levels Noise Protection Risk Factors Safety Climate Total Worker Health Training TWH Video Work Environment Workers

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• ISSN:
  1660-4601
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Connecticut ; Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  18
• Issue:
  18
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20063631
• Citation:
  Int J Environ Res Public Health 2021 Sep; 18(18):9529
• Contact Point Address:
  Jennifer M. Cavallari, Department of Public Health Sciences, UConn School of Medicine, Farmington, CT 06030
• Email:
  cavallari@uchc.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• Performing Organization:
  University of Connecticut School of Medicine
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20150901
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
• End Date:
  20180831
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3510cb53ebfb3b324597dc3b85fc9e378e7493fc812e3cfc1da4b30877b28a4e027605750d0670702971c78aa83ac5e2d5c629cd6712226efcd8b4e161cca6d8
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/222203/cdc_222203_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 979.20 KB ]