Prevalence of Hearing Loss Among Noise-Exposed Workers Within the Services Sector, 2006–2015

Details

• Personal Author:
  Masterson, Elizabeth A. ; Sekhon NK ; Themann, Christa L.
• Description:
  Objective: The purpose of this study is to estimate the prevalence of hearing loss among noise-exposed U.S. workers within the Services sector. Methods: Audiograms for 1.9 million workers (158,436 within Services) from 2006 to 2015 were examined. Prevalence and adjusted risk for hearing loss as compared with a reference industry were estimated for the Services sector/sub-sectors, and all industries combined. Results: The prevalence of hearing loss within Services was 17 compared to 16% for all industries combined. However, many sub-sectors greatly exceeded the overall prevalence (10-33% higher) and/or had adjusted risks significantly higher than the reference industry. Workers in Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development had the highest prevalence (50%), and workers in Solid Waste Combustors and Incinerators had more than double the risk, the highest of any sub-sector. Some sub-sectors traditionally viewed as 'low-risk' also had high prevalences and risks. Conclusions: Large numbers of workers within Services have an elevated risk of hearing loss and need immediate hearing conservation efforts. Additional research and surveillance are needed for sub-sectors for which there is low awareness of hearing hazards or a lack of hearing data. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Demography Environmental Exposure Hearing Hearing Loss Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced Maintenance Noise Noise, Occupational Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Recycling Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Administration Audiological Testing Audiometry Auditory Protection Author Keywords: Hazardous Noise Combustion Demographic Characteristics Educational Services Exposure Levels Hearing Conservation Hearing Loss Hearing Loss Prevention Humans Incinerators Industrial Exposures Landscape Services Workers Landscaping Maintenance Workers Noise Exposure Noise Induced Hearing Loss Noise Levels Occupational Hearing Loss Occupations Public Administration Remediation Repair And Maintenance Repair Shops Risk Factors Services Services Sector Research Program Surveillance Waste Disposal Waste Management And Remediation Work Environment Workers

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• ISSN:
  1499-2027
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Ohio ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  59
• Issue:
  12
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20060267
• Citation:
  Int J Audiol 2020 Dec; 59(12):948-961
• Contact Point Address:
  Elizabeth A. Masterson, Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1090 Tusculum Avenue, MS-R17, Cincinnati, OH 45226, USA
• Email:
  emasterson@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2021
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing ; Mining
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  International Journal of Audiology
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:0484a01dee7a66d5e132ed226c78039f8c80680d790d9af2f2c463988afda07a81c6e8ee49e985ec2c54688d21f0207d3d0899b940bbb53258d8ab553f8eb9c1
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/224223/cdc_224223_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.50 MB ]