• 대한의용생체공학회:의공학회지
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• 제27권6호
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• pp.376-383
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• 2006

Noise induced hearing loss (NIHS), the well-known occupational disease, is caused by continuous excessive noise. The prevention of NIHS is very important, because it is unrecoverable. There are some kinds of hearing protection device (HPD), and those are effective in preventing NIHS. But workers in noisy environment often resist to wearing them. Because they are ready - made products, so workers feel uncomfortable to wear. Also, they didn't maintain the conversation frequency range, so workers are hard to communicate in wearing them. To prevent hearing loss effectively, it is important that workers keep wearing HPD. Therefore, a HPD is needed to be comfortable to wear and be effective not only in hearing protection but also in preserving communication ability. So we proposed a custom - made hearing protection device in which a small acoustic filter is inserted. We designed several kinds of small acoustic filters and carried out some acoustic experiments for measuring characteristics of filters. We confirmed that acoustic transmission characteristic can be adjusted from experimental results using designed small acoustic filters. And we researched for the actual efficiency of a new developed custom - made hearing protection device using a small size acoustic filter. Also, we found out that workers are more satisfied with the new development than a former protection device from a workers' response.

• 한국멀티미디어학회논문지
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• 제10권2호
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• pp.200-208
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• 2007

가장 흔한 직업병 중의 하나인 소음성 난청은 알려진 치료법이 없기 때문에 예방하는 것이 매우 중요하다. 청각보호를 위한 다양한 종류의 청각보호구가 시판되고 있으며 청각보호에도 효과가 있는 것으로 알려져 있지만, 착용 시 발생하는 의사소통의 어려움으로 인하여 많은 사용자들이 착용을 꺼리게 된다. 이러한 의사소통의 문제점을 해결하기 위해 음관의 형태를 변화시켜 소형 음향필터를 사용할 수 있다. 본 논문에서는 소형 음향필터들을 설계하였고 이의 특성을 유한요소해석을 통하여 분석하였다. 유한요소해석의 결과로써 길이와 직경에 따라 설계된 소형 음향필터의 특성을 확인하였다. 그리고 유한요소해석을 이용한 필터 모델의 일반적인 추세와 설계된 필터들의 음향적 실험과 일치함을 확인하였다.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제9권1호
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• pp.25-29
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• 2018

Background: The understanding of the relationship between risk perception, knowledge, and protective behaviors could play a major role in occupational risk control and management. Research exploring how workers perceive, recognize, and react to risks in different occupational settings is scarce in Thailand. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship of noise-related risk perceptions and knowledge to the use of hearing protective devices (HPDs) among sawmill workers in Thailand. Methods: Sawmill workers (n = 540) from four factories in Trang, Southern Thailand, participated in a questionnaire interview from December 2015 to January 2016. Descriptive statistics and linear regression models were used to explore the risk factors related to HPD use. Path diagram analysis was demonstrated and used to evaluate associations. Results: Risk perception was significantly correlated with HPD use (p < 0.01), HPD training (p = 0.01), and the number of years of work experience (p = 0.03). Sawmill workers were likely to use HPDs based on their risk perception and HPD training. However, HPD training was inversely correlated with age and the number of years of work experience. Conclusion: The study highlights the importance of risk perceptions and knowledge, and these factors should be emphasized in the design and implementation of any personal safety intervention program for sawmill workers.