Costs and Effectiveness of Hearing Conservation Programs at 14 US Metal Manufacturing Facilities

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Int J Audiol
• Personal Author:
  Sayler, Stephanie K ; Rabinowitz, Peter M ; Cantley, Linda F ; Galusha, Deron ; Neitzel, Richard L
• Description:
  Objective
  
  This study characterized overall and specific costs associated with hearing conservation programs (HCPs) at US metal manufacturing sites, and examined the association between these costs and several noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) outcomes.
  
  Design
  
  We interviewed personnel and reviewed records at participating facilities. We also measured noise for comparison to the ten-year average of measurements made by each facility. NIHL outcomes assessed included rates of standard threshold shifts (STS) and high-frequency hearing loss, as well as prevalence of hearing impairment, for each participating facility. We used linear regression to identify per-person HCP costs that best predicted the NIHL outcomes.
  
  Study Sample
  
  We evaluated 14 US metal manufacturing facilities operated by a single company.
  
  Results
  
  Annual HCP costs ranged from roughly $67,000 to $400,000 (average $308±80 per worker). Our full-shift noise measurements (mean 83.1 dBA) showed good agreement with the facilities’ measurements (mean 82.6 dBA). Hearing impairment prevalence was about 15% overall. Higher expenditures for training and hearing protector fit-testing were significantly associated with reduced STS prevalence. Higher training expenditures were also related to lower hearing impairment prevalence and high-frequency hearing loss rates.
  
  Conclusions
  
  HCP costs were substantial and variable. Increased workplace spending on training and fit-testing may help minimize NIHL.
  
  
• Subjects:
  Article Hearing Conservation/Hearing Loss Prevention Medical Audiology Noise Psychoacoustics/Hearing Science
• Source:
  Int J Audiol. 57(SUP1):S3-S11
• Pubmed ID:
  29216778
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC6188788
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  R01 AG026291/AG/NIA NIH HHS/United States ; R01 OH010132/OH/NIOSH CDC HHS/United States
• Place as Subject:
  United States
• Volume:
  57
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:2ab9e9947296173a283fd6d21de71db555318a1fe54a2fc3ba8b8c4efa062e04
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/59748/cdc_59748_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 886.70 KB ]