Korean J Prev Med.  1986 May;19(1):16-30.

A Survey on the Status of Noisy Working Environment in Manufacturing Industries

• Kim JY
• Kim BS
• Lee CU
• Jun JH
• Lee JT
• Kim JO

Abstract

In order to prepare the fundamental data for the improvement of noisy working environments and the effective hearing conservation program on workers exposed to industrial noise, the authors surveyed the working processes and evaluated the noise levels on 56 manufacturing industries in Pusan area from April to July in 1985. The results were summarized as follows: 1. The noise level was the highest in shipbuilding and repairing(95.6 dBA), and followed by steel rolling(92.9 dBA), manufacture of motor vehicles(93.1 dBA), manufacure of fishing nets(92.9 dBA), manufacture of testiles(92.5 dBA), iron and steel foundries(89.3 dBA), manufacture of metal products(89.1 dBA), preserving and processing of marine foods(87.0 dBA), manufacture of rubber products(85.3 dBA), manufacture of plywood(84.9 dBA) and manufacture of paints(84.5 dBA). 2. Among fifty surveyed working processes, the noise level of twenty-one processes(42%) exceeded the threshold limit value for 8 hours per day. 3. As the allowable exposure times by governmental threshold limit values to industrial noise level(dBA), cocking of shipbuilding and repairing and plating(CGL) of steel rolling were the shortest(30 minutes), and followed by assembling(rivet) of manufacture of motor vehicles(1 hour) weaving of manufacture of textiles and shot, machine, pipe laying of shipbuilding and repairing(2 hours). 4. By the result of octave band analysis on noisy working processes in excess of 90 dBA, the sound level was the highest at 2,000 Hz or 4,000 Hz. 5. It was recognized that the measurement of overall sound pressure level was also effective as octave band analysis in evaluating the industrial noise.

MeSH Terms

Busan
Hearing
Iron
Noise
Rubber
Steel
Textiles
Threshold Limit Values
Iron
Rubber
Steel