BLS identifies sectors at highest risk for worker hearing loss

摘要

Washington - Hearing loss rates among workers in the manufacturing and utilities industries decreased over a six-year period, but both rates remain more than 4 times that of private industry overall, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Between 2004 and 2010, hearing loss per 10,000 full-time workers dropped to 12.9 from 16.9 in manufacturing, and to 9.1 from 18.1 in utilities, a recent article from BLS states. In private industry, in which hearing loss accounts for about 12 percent of all nonfatal occupational illnesses, the overall hearing loss rate was 2.2 in 2010, down from 3.2 in 2004. The highest subsector rate in 2010 was primary metal manufacturing (33.8), followed by air transportation (24.7) and food manufacturing (22.9).