Objectives The objective of this study was to assess the hearing of employees using communication headsets with regard to their exposure to noise. Material and Methods The study group comprised 213 employees, including 21 workers of the furniture industry, 15 court transcribers and 177 call center operators, aged 19–55 years, working with headsets for a period of up to 25 years. All the participants underwent a standard puretone audiometry, extended high-frequency audiometry (EHFA) as well as transient-evoked otoacoustic emissions (TEOAEs) and distortion-product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAEs). Noise exposure from headsets was evaluated using the microphone in a real ear technique according to PN-EN ISO 11904-1:2008. Results Personal daily noise exposure levels ranged 57–96 dB and exceeded 85 dB only in 1.4% of the call center operators. Forty-two percent of the participants had bilateral normal hearing in the standard frequency range of 250–8000 Hz, and 33% in the extended highfrequency range of 9–16 kHz. It was found that DPOAEs were present bilaterally in 59% of the participants. Reproducibility of TEOAE at >70% and signal-to-noise ratio at >6 was exhibited by 42% and 17% of them, respectively. The 3 subgroups of workers differed in age, gender, noise exposure and type of headsets in use. However, after adjusting for age and gender, significant differences between these subgroups in terms of hearing were mostly visible in EHFA. A significant impact of age, gender, daily noise exposure level and current job tenure on hearing tests results was also noted among the call center operators and the transcribers. The most pronounced were the effects of age and gender, whereas the impact of the daily noise exposure level was less evident. Conclusions It seems that EHFA is useful for recognizing early signs of noise-induced hearing loss among communication headset users. However, further studies are needed before any firm conclusions concerning the risk of hearing impairment due to the use of such devices can be drawn.
Background The aim of the study was to assess the noise exposure and risk of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) among users of communication headsets (CHs) or headphones. Material and Methods Noise measurements and questionnaire surveys were carried out in 74 workers (aged: 31.8±7.3 years), including military aviation personnel (N = 12), transcribers (N = 18) and call center operators (N = 44). Sound pressure levels (SPLs) emitted by CHs (or headphones) were determined using the microphone in the real ear (MIRE) technique and artificial ear techniques according to PN-EN ISO 11904-1:2008 and CSA Z107.56-13, respectively. The risk of NIHL was evaluated in accordance with PN-ISO 1999:2000. Results The diffused-field-related A-weighted equivalent-continuous SPLs measured under CHs (or headphones) using the MIRE and artificial ear techniques reached values of 67–86 dB (10–90th percentile) and 68–89 dB (10–90th percentile), respectively. The study subjects used these devices 1.5–8 h (10–90th percentile) per day. Exposure to such noise levels for 40 years of employment causes the risk of hearing impairment (mean hearing threshold level for 2, 3 and 4 kHz > 25 dB) up to 10–12% (MIRE technique) or 19–22% (artificial ear technique). Individual daily noise exposure levels in study group varied 71–85 dB (10–90th percentile). A number of workers complained of problems with understanding speech in noisy environment (28.4%) and hearing whisper (16.2%) and experienced post-work temporary hearing symptoms (16.2–25.7%) as well. Conclusions The users of CHs and headphones should be included in the hearing conservation program. Further studies are also needed among employees of other industries. Med Pr. 2019;70(1):27–52
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Wstęp Celem pracy była ocena narażenia na hałas i ryzyka uszkodzenia słuchu spowodowanego hałasem wśród użytkowników słuchawkowych zestawów komunikacyjnych lub słuchawek. Materiał i metody W grupie 74 pracowników (wiek: 31,8±7,3 roku), w tym personelu lotnictwa wojskowego (N = 12), transkrybentów (N = 18) i telemarketerów (N = 44), przeprowadzono pomiary hałasu i badania kwestionariuszowe. Poziomy dźwięku emitowanego przez słuchawkowe zestawy komunikacyjne (lub słuchawki) zmierzono z zastosowaniem techniki microphone in the real ear (MIRE) i techniki sztucznego ucha, odpowiednio, według norm PN-EN ISO 11904-1:2008 i CSA Z107.56-13. Ryzyko uszkodzenia słuchu wywołanego hałasem oszacowano zgodnie z wytycznymi normy PN-ISO 1999:2000. Wyniki Mierzone pod słuchawkami i słuchawkowymi zestawami komunikacyjnymi z zastosowaniem technik MIRE i sztucznego ucha wartości równoważnego poziomu dźwięku A (odpowiadającego warunkom pola rozproszonego) wynosiły, odpowiednio, 67–86 dB (10–90 percentyl) i 68–89 dB (10–90 percentyl). Badani pracownicy używali tych urządzeń średnio przez 1,5–8 godz. dziennie (10–90 percentyl). Ekspozycja na takie poziomy dźwięku przez 40 lat pracy wiąże się z ryzykiem uszkodzenia słuchu (średni próg słuchu dla częstotliwości 2, 3 i 4 kHz > 25 dB) sięgającym 10–12% (technika MIRE) lub 19–22% (technika sztucznego ucha). Wartości indywidualnego dziennego poziomu ekspozycji na hałas w badanej grupie wynosiły 71–85 dB (10–90 percentyl). Część pracowników skarżyła się na problemy z rozumieniem mowy w hałaśliwym otoczeniu (28,4%) i słyszeniem szeptu (16,2%) oraz zauważyła przejściowe skutki słuchowe po pracy z zastosowaniem słuchawkowych zestawów komunikacyjnych lub słuchawek (16,2–25,7%). Wnioski Wskazane jest objęcie użytkowników słuchawkowych zestawów komunikacyjnych i słuchawek programem ochrony słuchu oraz kontynuowanie badań wśród pracowników innych branż. Med. Pr. 2019;70(1):27–52
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