Preventing Occupational Hearing Loss

Preventing Occupational Hearing Loss PDF Author: John Robert Franks
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Deafness
Languages : en
Pages : 110

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Preventing Occupational Hearing Loss

Preventing Occupational Hearing Loss PDF Author: John R. Franks
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 91

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Preventing Occupational Hearing Loss

Preventing Occupational Hearing Loss PDF Author: John R. Franks
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780160615597
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 305

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Hearing Loss Research at NIOSH

Hearing Loss Research at NIOSH PDF Author: National Research Council
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 030910274X
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) was established by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (U.S. Congress, 1970). Today the agency is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIOSH is charged with the responsibility to "conduct . . . research, experiments, and demonstrations relating to occupational safety and health" and to develop "innovative methods, techniques, and approaches for dealing with [those] problems" (U.S. Congress, 1970). Its research targets include identifying criteria for use in setting worker exposure standards and exploring new problems that may arise in the workplace. Prevention of occupational hearing loss has been part of the NIOSH research portfolio from the time the agency was established. A principal cause of occupational hearing loss is the cumulative effect of years of exposure to hazardous noise. Exposure to certain chemicals with or without concomitant noise exposure may also contribute to occupational hearing loss. Hearing loss may impede communication in the workplace and contribute to safety hazards. Occupationally acquired hearing loss may also have an adverse effect on workers' lives beyond the workplace. No medical means are currently available to prevent or reverse it, although hearing aids are widely used and research on other treatments is ongoing. Occupational hearing loss is a serious concern, although the number of workers affected is uncertain. In September 2004, NIOSH requested that the National Academies conduct reviews of as many as 15 NIOSH programs with respect to the impact and relevance of their work in reducing workplace injury and illness and to identify future directions that their work might take. The Hearing Loss Research Program was selected by NIOSH as one of the first two programs to be reviewed. Hearing Loss Research at NIOSH examines the following issues for the Hearing Loss Research Program: (1) Progress in reducing workplace illness and injuries through occupational safety and health research, assessed on the basis of an analysis of relevant data about workplace illnesses and injuries and an evaluation of the effect that NIOSH research has had in reducing illness and injuries, (2) Progress in targeting new research to the areas of occupational safety and health most relevant to future improvements in workplace protection, and (3) Significant emerging research areas that appear especially important in terms of their relevance to the mission of NIOSH.

Occupational Noise Exposure

Occupational Noise Exposure PDF Author: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Industrial noise
Languages : en
Pages : 126

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Hearing Loss

Hearing Loss PDF Author: Tang-Chuan Wang
Publisher: BoD – Books on Demand
ISBN: 1839686774
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 196

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Book Description
The auditory system is one of the finest structures in the human body. Although its anatomical structure is so small compared to other organs, without it, it would greatly affect a person’s basic life. Hearing loss, also known as hearing impairment, is a partial or total inability to hear. When people communicate with others, listening is always the first step. That is why Helen Keller once said, “Blindness separates people from things; deafness separates people from people.” To avoid the “epidemic” of hearing loss in the near future, it is necessary to promote early screening, change public attitudes toward noise, and wear hearing aids appropriately. Based on the contributions of many authors, whom I sincerely respect, this book incorporates updated developments as well as future perspectives in the ever-expanding field of hearing loss. This book can also serve as a reference for persons who are involved in this field whether they are clinicians, researchers, or patients.

Occupational Noise-induced Hearing Loss

Occupational Noise-induced Hearing Loss PDF Author: National Occupational Health and Safety Commission (Sydney, Australia)
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780858349254
Category : Deaf
Languages : en
Pages : 111

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Occupational Noise Exposure

Occupational Noise Exposure PDF Author: Department of Health and Human Services
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781496001597
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 122

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Book Description
In the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Congress declared that its purpose was to assure, so far as possible, safe and healthful working conditions for every working man and woman and to preserve our human resources. In this Act, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is charged with recommending occupational safety and health standards and describing exposure concentrations that are safe for various periods of employment-including but not limited to concentrations at which no worker will suffer diminished health, functional capacity, or life expectancy as a result of his or her work experience. By means of criteria documents, NIOSH communicates these recommended standards to regulatory agencies (including the Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA]) and to others in the occupational safety and health community. Criteria documents provide the scientific basis for new occupational safety and health standards. These documents generally contain a critical review of the scientific and technical information available on the prevalence of hazards, the existence of safety and health risks, and the adequacy of control methods. In addition to transmitting these documents to the Department of Labor, NIOSH also distributes them to health professionals in academic institutions, industry, organized labor, public interest groups, and other government agencies. In 1972, NIOSH published Criteria for a Recommended Standard: Occupational Exposure to Noise, which provided the basis for a recommended standard to reduce the risk of developing permanent hearing loss as a result of occupational noise exposure [NIOSH 1972]. NIOSH has now evaluated the latest scientific information and has revised some of its previous recommendations. The 1998 recommendations go beyond attempting to conserve hearing by focusing on preventing occupational noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). This criteria document reevaluates and reaffirms the recommended exposure limit (REL) for occupational noise exposure established by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in 1972. The REL is 85 decibels, A-weighted, as an 8-hr time-weighted average (85 dBA as an 8-hr TWA). Exposures at or above this level are hazardous. By incorporating the 4000-Hz audiometric frequency into the definition of hearing impairment in the risk assessment, NIOSH has found an 8% excess risk of developing occupational noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) during a 40-year lifetime exposure at the 85-dBA REL. NIOSH has also found that scientific evidence supports the use of a 3-dB exchange rate for the calculation of TWA exposures to noise. The recommendations in this document go beyond attempts to conserve hearing by focusing on prevention of occupational NIHL. For workers whose noise exposures equal or exceed 85 dBA, NIOSH recommends a hearing loss prevention program (HLPP) that includes exposure assessment, engineering and administrative controls, proper use of hearing protectors, audiometric evaluation, education and motivation, recordkeeping, and program audits and evaluations. Audiometric evaluation is an important component of an HLPP. To provide early identification of workers with increasing hearing loss, NIOSH has revised the criterion for significant threshold shift to an increase of 15 dB in the hearing threshold level (HTL) at 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, or 6000 Hz in either ear, as determined by two consecutive tests. To permit timely intervention and prevent further hearing losses in workers whose HTLs have increased because of occupational noise exposure, NIOSH no longer recommends age correction on individual audiograms.

A Practical Guide to Effective Hearing Conservation Programs in the Workplace

A Practical Guide to Effective Hearing Conservation Programs in the Workplace PDF Author: Alice Harriet Suter
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Deafness
Languages : en
Pages : 72

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Best Practices in Hearing Loss Prevention Proceedings

Best Practices in Hearing Loss Prevention Proceedings PDF Author: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Publisher: Createspace Independent Pub
ISBN: 9781493620791
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 64

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Book Description
Approximately 30 million workers are exposed to hazardous noise on the job. In Michigan, an estimated 86,000 workers have work-related noise-induced hearing loss. Despite the fact that it is 100 percent preventable, loss of hearing is one of the most prevalent occupational diseases in the United States and the second highest self-reported workplace injury or illness.