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 inspectors- should

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.