• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• v.2 no.4
• /
• pp.348-354
• /
• 2011

Objectives: This cross-sectional study was performed in the Dental School of Prince of Songkla University to ascertain noise exposure of dentists, dental assistants, and laboratory technicians. A noise spectral analysis was taken to illustrate the spectra of dental devices. Methods: A noise evaluation was performed to measure the noise level at dental clinics and one dental laboratory from May to December 2010. Noise spectral data of dental devices were taken during dental practices at the dental services clinic and at the dental laboratory. A noise dosimeter was set following the Occupational Safety and Health Administration criteria and then attached to the subjects' collar to record personal noise dose exposure during working periods. Results: The peaks of the noise spectrum of dental instruments were at 1,000, 4,000, and 8,000 Hz which depended on the type of instrument. The differences in working areas and job positions had an influence on the level of noise exposure (p < 0.01). Noise measurement in the personal hearing zone found that the laboratory technicians were exposed to the highest impulsive noise levels (137.1 dBC). The dentists and dental assistants who worked at a pedodontic clinic had the highest percent noise dose (4.60 ${\pm}$ 3.59%). In the working areas, the 8-hour time-weighted average of noise levels ranged between 49.7-58.1 dBA while the noisiest working area was the dental laboratory. Conclusion: Dental personnel are exposed to noise intensities lower than occupational exposure limits. Therefore, these dental personnel may not experience a noise-induced hearing loss.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.123-134
• /
• 1998

The study was performed to investigate the differences among various evaluation criteria for noise-induced hearing loss(NIHL). The subjects were 100 workers who had received detailed audiometric examinations after the periodic annual examination for hearing loss. The evaluation criteria included were as follows: The criterion I was NIHL of 50dB or greater at 4,000Hz in either ear which is one of the legal requirements for determining occupational hearing loss in Korea. The criterion II was NIHL of 40dB or greater by 4-divided classification(a+b+c+d/4 at 500Hz(a), 1,000Hz(b), 2,000Hz(c), 4,000Hz(d)) which is also one of the legal requirements for determining occupational hearing loss in Korea. The criterion III was NIHL of 31dB of greater by 6-divided classification(a+2b+2c+d/6) which is the workers' compensation standard. The criterion IV was NIHL of 40dB or greater by 6-divided classification(a+2b+2c+d/6), the criterion used to prohibite workers to be employed in the noisy workplace. The criterion V was NIHL of 40dB or greater by 3-divided classification(a+b+c/3) which is the guideline of the Japanes Labour Department. The results were as follows; 1. The percentage of workers with NIHL by the criterion I was the highest(96%) and covered all workers with NIHL diagnosed by other criteria. Therefore, this criterion was the most sensitive one for early detection of NIHL among various evaluation criteria. 2. The percentage of workers with NIHL by the criterion II was 29% of the subjects, but all of them could be diagnosed as having NIHL by the criterion I and 33.1% of the NIHL by the criterion III could not be covered by the criterion II. Thus, this criterion was not considered suitable as an initial step for determining occupational hearing loss. 3. The percentage of workers with NIHL by the criterion III was 45% of the subjects. This percentage was 46.9% of the NIHL by the criterion I and was estimated to cover 3.6% of all noise exposed workers. 4. The percentage of workers with NIHL by the criterion IV was 28% of the subjects, but 37.8% of the NIHL by the criterion III and 70.8% of the NIHL by the criterion I were not covered by the criterion. Therefore, these workers could have been employed in the noisy workplaces. 5. Employed relocation which was one of the post management methods was an option in the criterion I in Korea and in the criterion V in Japan. The number of NIHL by the criterion I was 6.7times greater than that by the criterion V. Thus, although employee relocation was not used exclusively, many more workers with NIHL could have been relocated. In conclusion, this study revealed that the criteria being used for managing occupational hearing loss showed a lack uniformity among them. In addition, since these criteria are all relied on the total threshold shifts caused by the noise exposure at the time of hearing test with no consideration given to the past noise exposure history nor age, it can be said that they are not an effective tool for occupational hearing loss management. Since legal requirements are usually followed after being diagnosed as having NIHL, it is recommended that a uniform diagnostic criterion should be used to minimize confusion. Pre-employment hearing tests should also be utilized so as to managing occupational hearing loss after employment rather than being used as a legal roadblock of prohibiting workers with mild hearing loss from being employed. Thus, what is needed is an establishment of a rational criterion for occupational hearing loss management rather than for legal requirements.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.59-67
• /
• 2005

This study was to investigate knowledge, attitude and the preventive behaviour of noise of workers exposed to harmful noise and to provide primary data for noise-exposed workers' hearing conservation and the prevention of noise induced hearing loss. Method: The subjects were 104 workers who participated voluntarily in the questionnaire. The instrument used in this study was knowledge, attitude and practice on noise-induced hearing loss tool by Rhee & Yi (1996). The data were collected from August to September, 2002 with a self-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS 10.0 win program for finding frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, and ANOVA. Results: The average age of workers was 35.9 and the current average year of working at the noise place was $5{\sim}$10 years. In the group of previous noise-exposed workers, they showed significant difference in preventive behaviors (t=4.087, p=.048). In the group of current noise-exposed workers, they showed significant difference in recognition and attitude of noise(F=4.707, p=.004). Also, the duration of wearing ear protection equipment(t=2.383, p=.019), the feeling of wearing ear protection equipment(F=3.602, p=.031) and comfortable sense of wearing ear protection (F=3.919, p=.023) was significant in the preventive behaviour of noise. Conclusion: Considering the results above, we can recognize that there are close relations among the knowledge, attitude and the preventive behaviour of noise. Therefore, it is necessary to develop education - programs for noise-exposed workers' better understanding of noise and preventive behaviors

• 월간산업보건
• /
• s.2
• /
• pp.4-10
• /
• 1988

In order to investigate the prevalence of occupational disease in coal mine workers in Chonnam area, a cross sectional study was conducted in 1,097 workers from September to December in 1987. The results were as follows; 1. The prevalence of pneumoconiosis including suspected cases was 6.9% and was increased by age and working duration. 2. The prevalence of pneumoconiosis excluding suspected cases was 2.8%. 3. By the kind of job, prevalence of pneumoconiosis including suspected cases was l2.9% in tunnel drivers, 6.3% in coalface workers and 6.0% in other workers. 4. The prevalence of noise induced hearing loss was 5.1% and was increased by age and working duration. 5. The prevalence of noise induced hearing loss was the highest among tunnel drivers(7.3%), but it was not significantly different by the kind of job. 6. Occupational disease caused by vibration was not found in coal mine workers.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
• /
• v.50 no.3
• /
• pp.239-251
• /
• 2023

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of noise-filtering earplugs on the hearing ability of dentists wearing them during noise-induced dental procedures. Pure tone audiometry and distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) tests were conducted at the initial visit and 1 year later to evaluate the hearing ability of the participants. As a result of the study, the pure tone average of the group wearing earplugs decreased significantly compared to the group not wearing earplugs, indicating an improvement in hearing. However, the signal-to-noise ratio of the DPOAE tests did not show a significant difference. These findings suggest that noise-filtering earplugs may have some effectiveness in preventing hearing loss. However, since the 1-year observation period may not be adequate to identify changes in hearing, a follow-up study with an extended follow-up period is necessary.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Information and Commucation Sciences Conference
• /
• 2009.05a
• /
• pp.383-386
• /
• 2009

Todays, many young people suffer from noise-induced hearing loss by using wearable hearing devices, such as Bluetooth headset. This paper present hearing loss reduction algorithms considering individual hearing characteristics and threshold of feeling for Bluetooth headset. Experimental results using CSR Bluetooth headset example design board(DEV-PC-1645) show that individuals may be able to perceive without the inconvenience at the less sound intensity and the more sensitive frequency bands. As a result, we may prevent hearing loss to reduce excessive sound energy in each frequency bands.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
• /
• v.18 no.33
• /
• pp.135-141
• /
• 1995

Hearing protection devices (HPDs) are currently the most common countermeasure against occupational noise-induced hearing loss. Use of HPD is only effective when they are properly Worn. However, industrial workers often do not very them, posing a serious under protection. This paper analyzes several motivational strategies which might be applied improve HPD use in the field. It was concluded that such methods could readily be implemented in the workplace to protect workers exposed to hazardous industrial noises.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.29 no.3
• /
• pp.298-309
• /
• 2019

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate stages of safety and health culture change through a reflection on 40 years of hearing conservation history at a multinational company. Methods: The target workplaces were multinational companies with more than 1,000 employees. The research used the clinical case study and system analysis methods based on direct observation of the research from 1994 to 2009. The latter method performed an analysis of the equilibrium state of the cross-section in the given period and the longitudinal profile of the change during the given period. Results: The stages of cultural change are divided into five stages and summarized as follows. In the first stage, workplace noise was not widely recognized as a hazard, while in the second stage, the measurement of noise levels and audiometric testing were conducted under the Korean Occupational Safety and Health Act (KOSHA). The driving force for change in the second stage was the amendment of the KOSHA. In the third stage, noise came to be recognized as a hazard factor through awareness training. The driving force of change during the third stage was the strong executive power exerted by the audit of the industrial hygiene program from the US head office. In the fourth step, there was a change to actually reduce noise. The driving force in this stage was a change in company executives' risk perception resulting from lawsuits over noise-induced hearing loss and the task force team activities for culture change based on the action learning protocol. At the fifth stage, a 'buy quiet policy' was institutionalized. The management's experience that noise reduction was difficult was the motivation to manage noise from the time of purchase of equipment. Conclusions: The activities of a hearing conservation program are determined by the improvement of the legal system and by the way it is enforced. Noise control activities to reduce noise areas may be possible through the shared risk perception of noise-induced hearing loss and by a change agent role as a facilitator to implement noise control.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.27 no.2
• /
• pp.357-371
• /
• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of health education based on the health belief model (HBM) to the prevention of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) in middle school students. Methods: A pretest-posttest nonequivalent control group was designed for the purpose of this study. A total of 212 students (134 in the experimental group and 78 in the control group) of two middle schools in Seoul were enrolled for the study. Health education of two 45-minutes sessions over two weeks were provided. The data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Chi-square test, t-test, ANCOVA and repeated measures ANOVA with Bonferroni post-hoc test, using the SPSS version 21.0. Results: There were significant differences between experimental group and control group with reference to perceived susceptibility (F=7.862, p=.006), perceived severity (F=8.291, p=.004), perceived benefits (F=20.311, p<.001), and perceived barriers (F=5.628, p=.019) after health education were provided. We also observed sustained health education effects of perceived susceptibility, perceived severity, perceived benefits, and perceived barriers in the experimental group for up to 4 weeks after health education were provided. Conclusion: The health education to prevent NIHL based on the HBM improved the health beliefs of the middle school students. Health education on the HBM for the prevention of NIHL should be provided at the level of middle school.

• International journal of advanced smart convergence
• /
• v.6 no.2
• /
• pp.16-23
• /
• 2017

In contemporary modern society, people are constantly exposed to many kinds of noise, such as that from machinery, aircraft, construction sites, or road traffic. Noise is considered one of the most indispensable and influential parts of human life. This study investigates the acoustic characteristics of noise transfer from external sources to the human ear. For this study, we measured and analyzed various types of noise environments, installed monitoring speakers in a semi-anechoic room, and conducted intentional noise-filled experiments. In this environment, the size of the sounds generated by use of a portable device was also measured and the SNR (signal to noise ratio) calculated to study the influence of the noise. As sound is transmitted to the ear and the human body, it affects not only auditory damage but also other parts of the body. In this paper, we propose a proper SNR for noise emitted by portable IT equipment to prevent hearing loss when IT equipment is used.