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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Semin Hear 2023; 44(04): 470-484
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1769586
Review Article

Evaluating Earplug Performance over a 2-Hour Work Period with a Fit-Test System

Wei Gong
1   Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio
,
William J. Murphy
1   Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio
2   Stephenson and Stephenson Research and Consulting, LLC, Batavia, Ohio
,
Deanna K. Meinke
3   Audiology and Speech-Language Sciences, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, Colorado
,
Huiling Amy Feng
1   Division of Field Studies and Engineering, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio
,
Mark R. Stephenson
2   Stephenson and Stephenson Research and Consulting, LLC, Batavia, Ohio
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Abstract

Workers rely on hearing protection devices to prevent occupational noise-induced hearing loss. This study aimed to evaluate changes in attenuation over time for properly fit devices when worn by workers exposed to hazardous noise. Earplug fit testing was accomplished on 30 workers at a brewery facility with three types of foam and three types of premolded earplugs. The personal attenuation ratings (PARs) were measured before and after a 2-hour work period while exposed to hazardous noise levels. The minimum acceptable initial PAR was 15 dB. Average decreases in PAR ranged from −0.7 to −2.6 dB across all six earplug types. Significant changes in PAR were observed for the Foam-1 (p = 0.009) and Premold-3 (p = 0.004) earplugs. A linear mixed regression model using HPD type and study year as fixed effects and subject as random effect was not significant for either fixed effect (α = 0.05). Ninety-five percent of the final PAR measurements maintained the target attenuation of 15 dB. Properly fitting earplugs can be effective at reducing worker's noise exposures over time. The potential for a decrease in attenuation during the work shift should be considered when training workers and establishing the adequacy of protection from hazardous noise exposures.

Keywords

hearing protection - fit testing - personal attenuation rating - duration - noise exposure - occupational hearing loss

Institution and Ethics Approval and Informed Consent

This study was performed at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Before the study, the research protocol was approved by NIOSH IRB (HSRB 13-DART-01XP).


Disclaimer

The findings and conclusions in this paper are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.




Publication History

Article published online:
01 June 2023

© 2023. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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