Noise Exposure of Naval Communication Station Radio Operators: A Field Study

摘要

In 1979, the Naval Security Group Headquarters requested the Acoustical SciencesDivision, Naval Aerospace Medical Research Laboratory (NAMRL), to determine the extent to which radio headsets being used at naval communication stations posed a potential damage risk to hearing. The purpose of this technical memorandum is to document data obtained during a site visit at the naval communication satation located near Homestead Air Force Base, Florida. The data-gathering visit followed a preliminary information-gathering visit to the naval communication station known as Northwest. conclusions of the data-gathering field study were as follows: (1) Manual Morse code operators face a significant probability of exposure to hazardous noise levels; (2) the type of headset used is not a primary factor in the noise exposure of manual Morse operators; (3) the new automate signal acquisition system will probably increase operator noise exposure; and (4) ambient noise levels do not constitute a significant source of noise exposure for manual Morse code operators. Keywords: Hearing, Hearing conservation, Noise, Morse code operators. (sdw)