Hanyang Med Rev.  2010 Nov;30(4):326-332.

Occupational Diseases of Noise Exposed Workers

• Lee JH

Abstract

Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is one of the most common occupational disease, which carries not only an enormous cost in workers' compensation but also a even greater social cost due to loss of productivity and damage to quality of life. However, the unquestionable impact of occupational noise, NIHL is sometimes underestimated by the majority of workers because of its largely slow and insidious nature. High levels of occupational noise produce stress reactions, disturbances in communication, task performance, as well as development of hypertension, cognitive defects. Approximately 89% of the total disease burden (incidence of disability-adjusted life years, DALYs) is in 15-59 years age group and more than four millon DALYs were lost to NIHL. NIHL is incurable and irreversible at present. However, it is preventable, and it is necessary that preventive programmes be implemented. Within hazard prevention and control program should be involve following elements: 1) the work process: install quieter equipment, promote good maintenance; 2) the workplace: use noise enclosures of acoustic equipment; 3) the workers: set up work practices and other administrative controls on noise exposure, and provide audiometric test and hearing production, and workers' education programmes; and 4) child and adolescence: prevent healthy hearing from over exposure of environmental noise (eg. noisy toy, MP3, discotheque).

Keyword

Occupational noise; Noise-induced hearing loss

MeSH Terms

Acoustics
Child
Efficiency
Hearing
Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced
Humans
Hypertension
Noise
Noise, Occupational
Occupational Diseases
Play and Playthings
Quality of Life
Task Performance and Analysis
Workers' Compensation

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Prevalence of noise induced hearing loss and compensated workers from 1991 to 2007

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