Systematic Review of Interventions to Prevent Occupational Noise-Induced Hearing Loss — A Follow-up
CoDAS
Samelli, A. G., Matas, C. G., et al. (2021).
CoDAS, 33(4), e20190189.
This systematic review investigates the effects of non-pharmacological interventions (e.g., workplace engineering, administrative changes, hearing protection devices, hearing surveillance and audiological monitoring) for preventing noise exposure or occupational noise-induced hearing loss in workers exposed to noise greater than 80dBA. This review updates and extends Tikka et al. (2007); see the Associated Article section below for more information.
No funding received
January 1, 2017 to May 1, 2019
Randomized clinical trials; non-randomized before and after studies; interrupted time series
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Six studies investigating the effects of engineering and administrative controls on occupational noise (e.g., installation of sound-absorbing mats, use of noise suppressors, structural modifications to equipment) found decreased noise exposure in the short term, but no studies investigated long-term outcomes. One study investigating the impact of legislation on mining noise levels found variable noise reduction in different sectors. Five studies investigating the effects of hearing protection devices (HPD) and/or training to properly use HPD found that training and properly fitted HPD results in noise attenuation, though no long-term outcomes were reported. Two studies investigating the effects of hearing conservation programs reported a significant reduction in the prevalence of hearing threshold shifts, hearing loss, and hearing loss in high frequencies. The authors conclude that these interventions demonstrate positive effects on hearing loss prevention. Additional long-term research is needed.
