Hearing Loss Prevention - Progress on the NIOSH Strategic Plan

摘要

In 2006, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) entered the second decade of the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA). NORA is a partnership program to stimulate innovative research and improved workplace practices. NORA has served as an organizing framework to plan and conduct critical occupational research and to promote expanded partnerships between the stakeholders such as universities, large and small businesses, professional societies, other government agencies (federal, state and local), and worker organizations. Following a review by the National Academies Institute of Medicine of the NIOSH Hearing Loss Research program, a comprehensive strategic plan was developed for the Hearing Loss Prevention cross-sector. Six strategic goals were identified: 1) improved surveillance of occupational hearing loss data; 2) reduced noise emission levels from equipment focused on mining, construction and manufacturing; 3) development of hearing protector technology; 4) development of best practices for hearing loss prevention programs; 5) identification of hearing loss risk factors; and 6) development of updated hearing damage risk criteria that consider exposures incurred during youth, adolescence and adulthood. This presentation will review progress towards meeting these goals and propose a research agenda for the third decade of NORA research in hearing loss prevention.