Occupational strategies

Hearing conservation programmes for occupational settings must include the

following
interactive components:
$ Noise surveys to determine the degree of hazardous noise exposure by
surveying any
area in which workers are likely to be exposed to hazardous noise (>85 dBA). Level
of hazard
depends on noise intensity, duration of exposure during a typical working day and
overall
exposure during working life.
$ Engineering and administrative controls are undertaken to reduce exposures
to <90
dBA, and include: design of equipment, its location and layout, selection of quieter
machines,
treatment of noisy rooms, administrative controls, proper maintenance and isolation
of the
worker from noise source.
$ Audiometric tests, by pre-employment and periodic follow-up testing by
employers, to
help determine employee effects; employee medical history and non-workplace
noise exposure
should be assessed.
$ Company-sponsored education programmes to stress the importance of
good hearing
conservation practices on and off the job and inform employees about other factors
or diseases
that may affect their hearing.
$ Hearing protection devices to reduce the amount of sound reaching the
ear.

Employees having noisy hobbies, or with noisy second jobs, should be encouraged
to use
effective hearing protection during this noise exposure as well as at the work-place.
All parties concerned - government, employers, workers and factory inspectorsshould
be involved in implementing noise control measures using the Abottom-top@
approach.
Non-occupational strategies
Hearing loss from non-occupational noise is common in African countries, but
awareness
of the hazards is low. Strategies in the non-occupational setting should include the
following:$ Education programmes targeted towards children, young people, parents,
hobby
groups and professionals in influential positions, such as teachers, physicians,
audiologists,
engineers, other health-care professionals, architects and legislators.
$ High-visibility media campaigns to develop public awareness of the effects of
noise on
hearing and the means for self-protection.
$ Prevention of NIHL should be part of the health curricula in pre-university
institutions
in Africa.
$ Self-education materials for adults should be readily available.
$ Assisting consumers in purchasing quieter devices.
$ Legislation to control environmental noise and at certain spectator events.
$ Training more audiologists, audiology technicians and ENT surgeons.
$ Assistance from NGOs to establish audiological facilities in developing countries.
(1) Training Courses for health care personnel in schools and nursery schools,
teachers, disc

jockeys, musicians and sound engineers. Training topics were: How noise damages
your
hearing, the psychosocial effects of noise, voice as a physical phenomenon, how to
measure
noise exposure, the equipment of sound production and how to measure the sound
pressure,
acoustic surroundings, laws concerning noise and the protection of hearing.
Subsequent
feedback meetings reflected on how the quality of working conditions and hearing
protection in
discos, restaurants and other places had been improved.