NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) Testimony on Noise Before the Subcommittee on Compensation, Health and Safety, House Committee on Education and Labor, by Edward J. Baier, October 4, 1977

摘要

The testimony discussed the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) research on occupational noise induced hearing loss. A criteria document was issued in 1972 containing recommendations for a new workplace standard for noise control. The criteria document focused on the need for engineering controls to reduce the intensity of the noise at the workplace and administrative controls to limit the amount of exposure. The use of ear protectors was sanctioned only as a temporary measure until engineering and administrative controls are implemented. Formulas for determining hearing loss were discussed, with the most popularly used one having been developed in 1961 by the Subcommittee on Noise of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and Otolaryngology and adopted by the American Medical Association. The need for a weighting formula for calculating binaural hearing impairment was addressed. Other causes of hearing loss were also considered, including the deterioration of hearing occurring through aging, exposure to airborne contaminants, and preexisting sensitivity to noise. Compensation issues were briefly considered.