Another quiet day at the office: measuring worker exposure to noise, and the damage it does, can be very difficult in some industries. Here, Peter Zymanczyk looks at how studies into hearing loss among firefighters have revealed the sources of the damage and how best to combat it.(NOISE AND VIBRATION)(Fire and Rescue Services)

Publication: The Safety & Health Practitioner

Publication Date: 01-NOV-06

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COPYRIGHT 2006 CMP Information Ltd.

WORKERS IN SOME INDUSTRIES ARE EXPOSED to noise at varying volumes and durations in an inconsistent pattern throughout the working day. Measuring and assessing this type of noise exposure is not as straightforward as it would be in a factory. Things can become difficult for the safety practitioner when cases of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) are diagnosed and, while the hearing loss appears to be occupationally related, all the information from the workplace suggests there is no noise over exposure.

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This article uses the Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) in the United Kingdom and the United States of America as a case study to illustrate the difficulty in assessing noise in these circumstances. In spite of structured shift patterns, programmed routines and planned tasks--such as training and fire prevention duties--the requirement for the FRS to make a swift response to an emergency call means there is no 'standard' working day.

How big is the problem?

It is difficult to quantify just how great a problem NIHL is. In the UK, before the recent extension of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 to the emergency services, firefighters have always required hearing of the highest standard. There have not been any recently published studies into hearing loss within the UK FRS, but anecdotal evidence from FRS occupational health practitioners (OHPs) suggests that some hearing loss is a common characteristic in firefighters.

In the USA, the view that loss of hearing is just a natural consequence of being a firefighter has resulted in a number of studies into firefighter hearing loss, particularly from R.L. Tubbs. (1) Lifestyle factors were considered, but these failed to identify any consistent element that would explain the level of hearing loss. It is now accepted, however, that loss of hearing may result from a single exposure to a very brief impulse noise or explosion, but such traumatic losses are rare.

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Studies have consistently recommended that hearing conservation programmes (HCPs) be implemented, including...

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