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Issues regarding hearing protection device use in manufacturing and mining.

Morata TC

First Pan-American/Iberian Meeting on Acoustics/144th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, Cancun, Mexico, Dec 2-6, 2002. Melville, NY: Acoustical Society of America, 2002 Dec; :1-19

20023512

This study examines reasons offered by workers for not consistently using hearing protectors. Study groups were comprised of: 1. 124 workers exposed to various levels of noise in a manufacturing company, located in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Data on work history, psychosocial aspects of the worker's job, medical history, present health, stress, occupational and non-occupational exposures to noise or chemicals and lifestyle factors were collected through interviews. The participants had their hearing and noise exposure assessed. Sixty-four percent of the workers indicated that they wore hearing protectors, but only 20 percent of that subgroup stated that they wore the devices all the time when noise-exposed. 2. 44 workers and supervisors from the manufacturing and mining sectors in Cincinnati and Pittsburgh. Participants were interviewed or took part in focus groups discussions on a variety of hearing conservation topics, including problems with the use of HPDs. The variables significantly associated with a worker's decision not to wear hearing protectors consistently included interference with communication, interference with job performance, comfort issues, self-perception of hearing condition and inability to detect warning signals when wearing HPDs. These are issues to be addressed in order to promote a more effective use of HPDs.

Hearing; Hearing conservation; Hearing protection; Noise control; Noise protection; Miners; Mining industry; Industrial factory workers; Industrial noise; Noise levels; Work practices; Worker motivation; Workers; Behavior; Attitude

20021202

Formal Presentation

tmorata@cdc.gov

2003

DART

First Pan-American/Iberian Meeting on Acoustics/144th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America, Cancun, Mexico

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