Evaluating Earplug Performance over a 2-Hour Work Period with a Fit-Test System

Details

• Personal Author:
  Feng, H. Amy ; Gong W ; Meinke, Deanna K. ; Murphy, William J. ; Stephenson, Mark R.
• Description:
  Workers rely on hearing protection devices to prevent occupational noise-induced hearing loss. This study aimed to evaluate changes in attenuation over time for properly fit devices when worn by workers exposed to hazardous noise. Earplug fit testing was accomplished on 30 workers at a brewery facility with three types of foam and three types of premolded earplugs. The personal attenuation ratings (PARs) were measured before and after a 2-hour work period while exposed to hazardous noise levels. The minimum acceptable initial PAR was 15 dB. Average decreases in PAR ranged from -0.7 to -2.6 dB across all six earplug types. Significant changes in PAR were observed for the Foam-1 (p = 0.009) and Premold-3 (p = 0.004) earplugs. A linear mixed regression model using HPD type and study year as fixed effects and subject as random effect was not significant for either fixed effect (a = 0.05). Ninety-five percent of the final PAR measurements maintained the target attenuation of 15 dB. Properly fitting earplugs can be effective at reducing worker's noise exposures over time. The potential for a decrease in attenuation during the work shift should be considered when training workers and establishing the adequacy of protection from hazardous noise exposures. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Ear Hearing Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced Noise Noise, Occupational Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Protective Clothing Safety Sense Organs
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Hearing Protection Duration Ear Protectors Fit Testing Hearing Protection Noise Exposure Noise Induced Hearing Loss Occupational Hearing Loss Personal Attenuation Rating Sound Attenuation
• ISSN:
  0734-0451
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Colorado ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 8
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  470-484
• Volume:
  44
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067940
• Citation:
  Semin Hear 2023 Nov; 44(4):470-484
• Contact Point Address:
  Wei Gong, Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH
• Email:
  wrm3@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Seminars in Hearing
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:1411634502433d839191148279855eac74782f5d06b2a6c65ee33762352aef61363a90f92f3bbfe0b40f7f52d981445f691fce159a7e93d1a5e5e343ee079199
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230173/cdc_230173_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.21 MB ]