Industrial Health · 2008 · 29 citations · 4 references
Health ProfessionsAudiologyHealth SciencesOccupational HealthOccupational Injury PreventionWorkplace Injury PreventionHearing LossHearing Protection DevicesNoise ExposureNoise-induced Hearing DamageNoise-induced Hearing Loss PreventionOccupational Noise ExposureHearing ProtectionHearing Protection Device EffectivenessHearing Protection Device TrainingHearing Protection EffectivenessHearing Protector EvaluationIndividual Training NeedsNoise AttenuationNoise Exposure Education
The study aimed to determine whether individualized training that uses a measurement instrument to quantify earplug attenuation would increase workers’ use of hearing protection. Sixty‑eight male factory workers exposed to noise above 80 dBA received group instruction and individualized earplug training using an instrument that measured attenuation. After training, regular use rose from 46 % to 66 % and the proportion achieving ≥25 dB attenuation increased from 46 % to 72 %, with benefits persisting for about two months.
The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of individual training of workers, using an instrument to quantitatively evaluate the noise attenuation gained with the use of earplugs, on the efforts to promote the use of hearing protection devices. The subjects were 68 male workers exposed to noise of above 80 dBA at an electronic parts manufacturer in Japan. They received group instruction on the prevention of noise-induced hearing loss, and individual education on the effect of the proper use of earplugs. The individual education was done with the use of an instrument that measures the noise attenuation effect of wearing earplugs. After the training, the prevalence of the regular use of hearing protectors increased. Among workers in loud working environments, it increased from 46% to 66% over two months after the training. The percentage of workers who obtained a sufficient noise attenuation effect of>or=25 dB in both ears with the proper use of earplugs also increased, from 46% before the training to 72% immediately afterward. These effects were still observed about two months after the intervention. The results suggest that the present individual training may be an effective means to increase both the usage rate and the proper use of hearing protection devices, perhaps because it deepens individuals' understanding of the effect of the proper use of such devices.
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The effects of training format on earplug performance
Antony Joseph, Jerry L. Punch, Mark R. Stephenson et al. · International Journal of Audiology · 2007 · 40 citations
Instruction and the improvement of hearing protector performance.
Warwick Williams · PubMed · 2005 · 20 citations