The Effects of a Company Hearing Conservation Program on Extra-Auditory Disturbances in Workers

摘要

A follow-up study was conducted to one showing that the 500 workers in the noisier workplaces (95 decibels (a)) of a boiler fabrication facility have significantly more accidents, medical disorders, somatic disturbances and absences than other workers in quieter areas in order to determine the effects of a hearing conservation program emphasizing the use of personal ear protectors. Comparisons were made of relevant records in worker files for two years before (1969/1970) and after (1972/1973) the start of the hearing conservation program. Parameters measured include age, length of service, job type, work shift, degree of ear protection use with respect to numbers of accidents, diagnosed medical problems, symptomatic complaints and absences. Except for symptomatic complaints, the frequency of problems was relatively lower for the 1972/1973 period than for the 1969/1970 period. Methodological shortcomings are considered to have given equivocal results correlating usage of ear protectors and incidence of extra-auditory problems. The results are considered to strongly support the hypothesis that prolonged exposure to high-intensity noise increased the incidence of various medical, accident and attendance problems and that a hearing conservation program can be beneficial in reducing these problems as well as hearing loss risk.