O-23 Prevalence and factors associated with occupational noise induced hearing loss among employees of an international airport of West Bengal, India

IntroductionOccupational noise induced hearing loss (ONIHL) is the commonest occupational disease globally, affecting workers spanning a wide range of industries. However, literature on ONIHL in workers of airports in developing countries is scarce. The current study tries to address this gap by ass...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Occupational and environmental medicine (London, England) England), 2023-03, Vol.80 (Suppl 1), p.A23-A23
Main Authors: Bandyopadhyay, Alapan, Mukherjee, Abhijit, Rout, Arup Jyoti, Dhar, Gautam
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Abstracts
Aircraft noise
Airports
Developing countries
Ear protection
Employees
Employment
Hearing loss
Hearing protection
LDCs
Occupational diseases
Protective equipment
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Summary:IntroductionOccupational noise induced hearing loss (ONIHL) is the commonest occupational disease globally, affecting workers spanning a wide range of industries. However, literature on ONIHL in workers of airports in developing countries is scarce. The current study tries to address this gap by assessing the burden of ONIHL and its associated factors among employees working at an international airport of Eastern India.MethodologyA cross-sectional study was conducted from April 2020 to March 2022 among 212 airport employees divided into 3 groups based on their area of employment, viz. airfield (97), terminal (89), and administration (26). All employees had been working in the airport for >1 year. Noise induced hearing loss among the employees was measured using a portable audiometer, and data regarding associated factors collected using a questionnaire.ResultsThe mean age was 34.1±9.2 years, 89.2% were men. Most participants were from the upper and middle socioeconomic classes. 50% of the employees wore hearing protection equipment when working, with earplugs being the most common. The prevalence of ONIHL was found to be 7.6%, with the highest among employees working in the terminal area (8.9%). Only the non-use of hearing protection equipment was significantly associated with the development of ONIHL (p-vlaue 0.003). No significant association was observed for age, sex, education, years of work, area of employment and number of primary working stations.ConclusionONIHL was found to be prevalent among employees working at the airport, and focus should be on ensuring use of protective equipment to combat the problem.
ISSN:1351-0711
1470-7926
DOI:10.1136/OEM-2023-EPICOH.55