Prevalence of Hearing Loss Among Noise-Exposed Workers Within the Health Care and Social Assistance Sector, 2003 to 2012

OBJECTIVE:The purpose was to estimate the prevalence of hearing loss for noise-exposed U.S. workers within the Health Care and Social Assistance (HSA) sector. METHODS:Audiograms for 1.4 million workers (8702 within HSA) from 2003 to 2012 were examined. Prevalences and adjusted risks for hearing loss...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of occupational and environmental medicine 2018-04, Vol.60 (4), p.350-356
Main Authors: Masterson, Elizabeth A, Themann, Christa L, Calvert, Geoffrey M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Deafness
Ear diseases
Exposure
Health care
Hearing loss
Medical personnel
Noise
Noise levels
Occupational exposure
Occupational health
Risk factors
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Summary:OBJECTIVE:The purpose was to estimate the prevalence of hearing loss for noise-exposed U.S. workers within the Health Care and Social Assistance (HSA) sector. METHODS:Audiograms for 1.4 million workers (8702 within HSA) from 2003 to 2012 were examined. Prevalences and adjusted risks for hearing loss as compared with a reference industry were estimated for the HSA sector and all industries combined. RESULTS:While the overall HSA sector prevalence for hearing loss was 19%, the prevalences in the Medical Laboratories subsector and the Offices of All Other Miscellaneous Health Practitioners subsector were 31% and 24%, respectively. The Child Day Care Services subsector had a 52% higher risk than the reference industry. CONCLUSION:High-risk industries for hearing loss exist within the HSA sector. Further work is needed to identify the sources of noise exposure and protect worker hearing.
ISSN:1076-2752
1536-5948
DOI:10.1097/JOM.0000000000001214