PURPOSE:  To develop more effective communication and training techniques and products that give workers the motivation and skills to prevent hearing loss.

RESEARCH SUMMARY:  This 3-year project, now in its final year, is showing workers how to take a more effective role in preventing hearing loss by reducing their exposure to hazardous noise. Findings from tests conducted with the Hearing Loss Prevention Unit mobile research facility indicate that 31% of the miners had a hearing impairment, a percentage that grows to 50% for miners in their 50s. A major obstacle to reducing these rates is the ineffective use of noise controls and protective devices. For instance NIOSH research on sand and gravel miners has shown usage rates of hearing protectors to be below 50%.

This issue is being addressed though a variety of health communications techniques. The first step is to increase workers’ motivation to take effective action, and then provide these motivated workers with the knowledge and skills they need to reduce their noise exposure and protect their hearing. Specific problematic attitudes and behaviors with each health communication study are being targeted. An example would be the widespread myth that most hearing loss is a natural consequence of aging.

A Hearing Loss Simulator was developed, and its ability to motivate workers to avoid hazardous noise and protect their hearing better was studied. This Windows-based program demonstrates the “sound” of a hearing loss that results from a hypothetical noise dose set by the user. Trainees can immediately hear the muffled speech and almost-inaudible industrial warning sounds as heard “through” a hearing impairment. Trainees who heard the simulator had significantly improved knowledge about the causes and results of hearing loss, and were more motivated to take preventive action. To investigate improving knowledge and skills, a simplified “Roll-Pull-Hold” technique for the types of foam earplugs that are widely used for hearing protection was developed and evaluated. When workers followed a simple three-step procedure, their earplugs sealed their ear canals better and reduced the level of noise reaching their eardrums by an average of 9 decibels.

The simulator was released on CD-ROM and now has hundreds of users and supporting organizations that include the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC), and the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA). The Roll-Pull-Hold technique is being disseminated through an instructional page and 1-minute video clip on the NIOSH website. The short-term benefits of these communications interventions are expected to result in long-term exposure and hearing loss reductions, and plans are being made to conduct a long-term evaluation in a follow-on project.