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Noise Exposure in Medical Helicopter Flights



Details

  • Personal Author:
    Hay M
  • Description:
    Objective: The dual purpose of this study is to measure the noise exposure of pilots, nurses and paramedics in medical helicopter flights and assess the hearing protection that is currently used. If the measurements are found to be above the OSHA PEL we will recommend protective measures or additional protection to reduce the risks of hearing loss in the personnel. Methods: We are hoping to use two types of noise monitoring: area and personal sampling as instructed in OSHA standard 1910.95. Area meters will be used to measure the cabin noise level of the helicopter and determine if the area samples exceed the thresholds for noise exposure. Traveling to the location of the patient, the rear of the helicopter will be measured, then, to preserve space, the investigator will move to the front of the helicopter for the return flight to the hospital. During the flight we will observe the usage of helmets, headphones and earplugs by the medical personnel. Monitoring the rear of the helicopter will also allow us to calculate the exposure to the patient to evaluate if they are in any danger of hearing losses, specifically neonates. We are not planning on attaching monitors to any patients, but possibly placing them in the general area to monitor the noise levels. We also will use Quest 300 Dosimetry meters for personal sampling devices for the pilot, nurse and paramedic during transit to evaluate their individual exposures. These personal monitors from the personnel will be clipped to the collar of the person's shirt and should not affect their work performance. We will place the monitor before boarding the helicopter and remove it after we are back in the hospital. Results: TBD. Conclusion: TBD. [Description provided by NIOSH]
  • Subjects:
  • Keywords:
  • Publisher:
    University of South Florida (USF)
  • Document Type:
    Text
  • Funding:
    Grant
  • Genre:
    Abstract or Summary
  • Place as Subject:
  • CIO:
    National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
  • Topic:
    Workplace Safety & Health
  • Location:
    North America
  • Pages in Document:
    11
  • NIOSHTIC Number:
    nn:20064157
  • Citation:
    Sunshine ERC Research Poster Session/USF Health Research Day, February 23-24, 2012, Tampa, Florida. Tampa, FL: University of South Florida (USF), 2012 Feb; :11
  • Contact Point Address:
    Melissa Hay, University of South Florida, College of Public Health, Dept. of Environmental & Occupational Health
  • Federal Fiscal Year:
    2012
  • Performing Organization:
    Sunshine Education and Research Center, University of South Florida
  • Peer Reviewed:
    False
  • Start Date:
    20050701
  • Source Full Name:
    Sunshine ERC Research Poster Session/USF Health Research Day, February 23-24, 2012, Tampa, Florida
  • End Date:
    20290630
  • Collection(s):
  • Main Document Checksum:
    urn:sha-512:9b76c09e7e724ba1eaee9ede35bcbb22aef102b5159cb15edbbbf3ea0e1a00b2587ec1e994ad157790ee920684010c71dcbbaf9029e389b4aace188192562495
  • Download URL:
  • File Type:
    Filetype[PDF - 81.58 KB ]
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