Occupational Noise Pollution and Hearing protection in selected industries

Ghorbanali Mohammadi

Abstract


ABSTRACT
The use of technology in industries is ever increasing. With the introduction of this technology come new safety and human performance concerns. Hearing loss caused by industrial noise has been recognized for many years, and protection of employee hearing has been made mandatory by governmental agencies. This paper presents an investigation of occupational noise exposure and Personal hearing protective devices (PHPD) in selected industries in the south-eastern Iran. A questionnaire has been used to collect data for workers with high noise exposure and Personal hearing protective devices (PHPD). The subjects were 354 industrial workers expose to noise pressure levels greater than the action level defined in Iranian legislation (85dB (A) 8h/d. The results of this study indicated that only younger workers with minor professional experience and with high educational background are used PHPD to protect and preserve their hearing. The finding of this study shows that approximately 75% of the workers with age 18-36 reported the use of personal protective Devices at all the time, and 73% of workers with age more than 46 years old reported that they had never used them PHPD, even though it was mandatory in their workplaces. Statistical data show that, the percentage of male workers (82) with age more than 37 years old having headaches at workplace are higher than female (3.4) with the same age groups. A noise training and education program must be developed for industrial employees in order to protect them from hazardous noise pollution. Employers must play an important role in promoting the regular use of Personal hearing protective devices. Noise level in work areas must be considered in the early design of Hearing Conservation Program.

Keywords


Noise, PHPD, Occupational noise, Safety and health, Hearing conservations programs

Full Text:

PDF

References


REFERENCES

Mohammadi G. Introduction to accident prevention, 2ND International Conference on loss prevention and safety, Bahrain 1995.

Alton B, Ernest J. Relationship between loss and noise exposure levels in a large industrial population: a review of an overlooked study. J Acoust Soc Am, 88(S1):S73 (A). 42 P.C. Eleftheriou /Applied Acoustics 2002;63: 35–42.

Jansen G. The effects of noise on human beings. VGB (German), (1992); 72(1):60-4.

Johnson D. Field studies: industrial exposures. J Acoustic Soc Am 1991; 90(1):170-4.

EPA, Information on levels and environmental noise requisite to protect public health and welfare

with and adequate margin of safety, Environmental Protection Agency, Washington (DC) March 1974.

OSHA, Occupational Noise Exposure; Hearing Conversation Amendment 1988.

Morata TC., Fiorini AC, Fischer FM, Krieg EF, Gozzoli L, Colacioppo S. Factors affecting the use of hearing protectors in a population of printing workers. Noise & Health 2001; 4 (13): 25-32.

Melamed S, Rabinowitz S, Feiner M, Weisberg E, Ribak J. Usefulness of the protection

motivation theory in explaining hearing protection device use among male industrial workers. Health Psychology 1996; 15: 209–215.

International Organization for Standardization. ISO 1999(E) Acoustics Determination of occupational noise exposure and estimation of noise-induced hearing impairment, Geneva1990.

Robinson DW. Tables for the estimation of hearing impairment due to noise for ontologically normal and typical unscreened populations of males and females. HSE contract research report no. 29/1991, UK, 1991.

Hallberg LR.-M. Lack of awareness of the risks of noise exposure in men and women. In: Prasher, D., Luxon, L., Pyykkِ, I. (Eds.), Advances in Noise. Research In: Protection against Noise, vol. 2. Whurr, London, pp. 247–252 (Chapter 35), 1998.

Brady J. Training to promote worker's use of hearing protection: the influence of Work climate factors on training effectiveness. UMI Dissertation Service, PhD Thesis, the University of Michigan. Michigan, USA, UMI Number 9948073,1999.

OSHA. Occupational Noise Exposure; Hearing Conversation Amendment,1979.

EPA. Noise in America: The Extent of the Noise Program. U.S.Enviromental Protection Agency, 1981, Washington DC. 1981.

NIOSH. Criteria for a recommended standard occupational noise exposure, revised criteria. NIOSH. DHHS publication no. (NIOSH), Cincinnati (OH), 1998, pp. 98–126.

Diaz Y, Resnick M, A model to predict employee compliance with employee corporal's safety regulations factoring risk perception. In: Proceedings of the IEA2000/HFES 2000. Congress, 2000. Vet. 4, pp. 323-326.

Glendon I, McKenna E, Human Safety and Risk Management, 1995.

Rundmo T. (1996). Associations between risk perception and safety. Safety Science 1996; 124(3): 197-209

Kerr MJ, Lusk SL, Ronis DL. Explaining Mexican American workers' Hearing protection use with the health promotion model. Nursing Research 2002; 51(2): 101-109.

Iran Department of Environment (IDE) . Environmental Standards and Regulations, IDE, press, Tehran 1998.

ACGIH. Threshold limit values (TLV) and Biological Exposure Index (BEI), American

Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, Cincinnati 1997.

Greenspoon P , Saklofske E. Confirmatory factor analysis of the Multidimensional Student's Life satisfaction scale. Personality an Individual Difference 1998; 25: 965-971.

Stewart-Taylor A, Cherrie JW. Does risk perception affects behaviour and exposure. A pilot study amongst asbestos workers. Annals of Occupational Hygiene, 1998; 42 (8): 565-569.

Lusk SL, Ronis DL, Hogan M.M.. Test of the health promotion model as a causal model of construction workers’ use of hearing protection. Research in Nursing and Health 1997;20: 194 183.

Mohammadi G. Hearing conservation programs in selected metal fabrication Industries, Applied Acoustics 2008;69: 287-292.

Williams W. Purdy S C, Story L, Nakhla M , Boon G. (2007).towards more effective methods for changing perceptions of noise in the workplace. Safety Science 2007; 45:.431-447.

Berger E. Hearing protection devices. In: Berger, E., Royster, L., Royster, J., Driscoll, D. Layne, M. (Eds.), The Noise Manual, fifth Ed. 2000.




Iranian Journal of Health, Safety and Environment e-ISSN: :2345-5535 Iran university of Medical sciences, Tehran, Iran