• 대한청각학회지
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• 제25권4호
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• pp.189-199
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• 2021

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the occupational performance of Korean workers with and without hearing loss and analyze the hearing-related difficulties in the working environment. Subjects and Methods: The Amsterdam checklist for hearing and work was used for the analyses and the occupational environments of the Korean workers were investigated. Out of 129 total participants, 86 workers experienced severe to profound hearing loss and 43 had the normal hearing ability. The hearing-impaired workers were recruited from two leading vocational centers and normal-hearing workers were their colleagues. Results: The hearing-impaired workers were found to take fewer sick leaves and exhibited higher rates of permanent job statuses compared to the normal-hearing workers. Workers with hearing loss rarely detected background sound; however, they could perceive reverberation more frequently. They felt more satisfied with their careers than the normal hearing workers as they received social support and needed to put their effort into hearing for most hearing activities. Furthermore, the effort in hearing increased with the increase in job demand, job control, social support, and career satisfaction. The working hours per week increased with the increase in age, education level, job demand, job control, and social support. Different trends were observed in 9 out of 12 variables while comparing the data from the present study with that obtained from the hearing-impaired workers of the Netherlands, indicating a large difference between countries. Conclusions: Although the hearing-impaired Korean workers operate diligently with good job positions, it is necessary to enhance their acoustic environment and provide them social support. Considering the cultural background of the hearing-impaired workers, the development of suitable vocational rehabilitation programs and specific questionnaires is strongly recommended worldwide.

• Journal of Audiology & Otology
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• 제25권4호
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• pp.189-198
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• 2021

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the occupational performance of Korean workers with and without hearing loss and analyze the hearing-related difficulties in the working environment. Subjects and Methods: The Amsterdam checklist for hearing and work was used for the analyses and the occupational environments of the Korean workers were investigated. Out of 129 total participants, 86 workers experienced severe to profound hearing loss and 43 had the normal hearing ability. The hearing-impaired workers were recruited from two leading vocational centers and normal-hearing workers were their colleagues. Results: The hearing-impaired workers were found to take fewer sick leaves and exhibited higher rates of permanent job statuses compared to the normal-hearing workers. Workers with hearing loss rarely detected background sound; however, they could perceive reverberation more frequently. They felt more satisfied with their careers than the normal hearing workers as they received social support and needed to put their effort into hearing for most hearing activities. Furthermore, the effort in hearing increased with the increase in job demand, job control, social support, and career satisfaction. The working hours per week increased with the increase in age, education level, job demand, job control, and social support. Different trends were observed in 9 out of 12 variables while comparing the data from the present study with that obtained from the hearing-impaired workers of the Netherlands, indicating a large difference between countries. Conclusions: Although the hearing-impaired Korean workers operate diligently with good job positions, it is necessary to enhance their acoustic environment and provide them social support. Considering the cultural background of the hearing-impaired workers, the development of suitable vocational rehabilitation programs and specific questionnaires is strongly recommended worldwide.

• 한국직업건강간호학회지
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• 제21권2호
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• pp.116-124
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• 2012

Purpose: This study was conducted to examine the influencing factors of social support, self efficiency and depression among the hearing-impaired and physically disabled on their job stress. Methods: The data were collected from Jan.1 to Aug. 30, 2010 from 151 disabled workers. The instruments for this study were the Korean Occupational Stress Scale (KOSS), Social Support Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale and Beck Depression Inventory-Korean Version (K-BDI). The data were analyzed using t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression with the SPSS/WIN 18.0. Results: The physically disabled show higher social support (t=0.284, p= .001) and self efficacy (t=0.165, p= .024) but lower in depression (t=0.789, p<.001) than the hearing-impaired. There are negative correlation between job stress and social support, job stress and self efficacy but a positive correlation between job stress and depression. These three factors explained 42.9% of the variance in job stress. Conclusion: Social support and self efficacy have positive impacts on job stress but depression has negative impact.

• 한국소음진동공학회논문집
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• 제20권10호
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• pp.891-899
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• 2010

Since the working machine generates an excessive loud noise as much as its use-purpose and dimension, those damages are occurring to the exposed workers such as unpleasant sense, stress and occupational hearing-impaired. Accordingly, as one of the measures for prevention such loud noise, various soundproof protection tools were developed. However, such soundproof protection tools were presented the physical measured value only, it is real state that the psychological study result with regard to the soundproof effect which the workers are actually feeling, is not existing. On such point of view, with the object on the typical earplugs and earcaps among the soundproof protection tools, this study has ever tried a subjective evaluation about the degree of soundproof effect through Psycho-acoustics experiment. It is considering that such study result could be utilized as the useful material when establishing the soundproof measure for the workers in the future.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제36권2호
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• pp.137-146
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• 2003

과거 군 복무 기간 동안 청력에 영향을 미치는 사격 및 포격 등 소음에 노출된 군 경력이 현재 소음 노출 근로자에게 어떤 청각학적 영향을 미치며, 소음성 난청의 발생과 관련이 있는지를 평가하고자 하였다. 중소규모 선박수리 및 건조업체 15개 사업체 440명을 대상으로 근로자의 일반 사항, 임상증상, 현재의 청력과 관련한 과거 이과적 병력, 군 복무시 충격소음의 상시적 노출 등의 군 경력, 이명 등의 자각증상에 관한 설문조사와 순음청력검사 및 중이검사를 시행하였다. 현 직종에서의 소음 노출군 중 과거 군에서 소음 노출군이 각 주파수별 청력역치와 평균 청력역치가 가장 컸으며, 특히 2-8kHz의 주파수 역치에서 차이가 크게 나타났다. 청력손실자의 비율 및 중증도의 정도가 현 직종에서의 소음 노출군 중 과거 군에서 소음 노출군이 가장 높은 비율을 보였으며, 특히 감각신경성 난청으로서 소음성 난청자가 통계적으로 유의하게 더 많았다. 이명은 현재 소음 노출 직종에 있는 군에서 높았으며, 그중 군 소음 노출군이 46.2%로 유의하게 더 높았다. 소음성 난청 여부를 종속변수로 한 로지스틱 회귀분석 결과, 연령, 현 직종 근무기간, 군 소음 노출력, 현 직종에서의 소음 노출 여부가 유의한 독립변수로 작용하였다. 우측 귀의 경우, 소음성 난청에 대한 군 소음 노출력의 비차비는 4.5이었고, 현 직종의 소음 노출의 비차비는 7.9이었다. 군 소음 노출 및 현 작업 소음 노출 여부에 따른 각 군별 좌우측 귀의 4 kHz 청력역치와 평균 청력역치는 I군에서 좌우측 귀 모두 나이 및 근무기간이 증가할수록 가장 크게 영향을 미치며 유의하게 증가하였으며 II군, III군, IV군 순으로 청력 역치가 증가하였다. 군에서 노출되는 충격소음은 청력손실과 이명 등 청각학적 영향을 미치며 사업장에서 소음 노출에 따른 소음성 난청의 발생에도 부가적인 영향을 미친다. 따라서 군에서의 소음 노출에 따른 청각학적 영향을 예방하기 위해서뿐만 아니라 소음 노출 근로자에 대한 청력 관리 측면에서도 이의 조기 진단, 치료, 보상 및 재활을 위해서는 군에서의 소음 노출 문제까지 함께 다루어야 함을 시사한다.