Respirator Speech Intelligibility Testing with an Experienced Speaker.

摘要

The Modified Rhyme Test (MRT) is used by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to assess speech intelligibility of commercial chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) air-purifying respirators (APRs). The speaker s sound output level, enunciation, accent, and pronunciation may adversely affect sound conveyance and speech intelligibility during respirator wear. It was postulated that an experienced speaker might induce higher intelligibility scores than a less experienced speaker. Twelve NIOSH-certified CBRN APRs that were evaluated previously using the NIOSH test method were used to conduct a modified version of the NIOSH MRT. Performance ratings with the experienced speaker (86.5% 0.6%) were significantly higher than those for the NIOSH method (84.0% 0.6%).