Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Turn That Down!

You may want to turn down the volume to hear this one: a noisy workplace could be hazardous to your health.

According to a recent study by the US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, workers who are exposed to loud noise at work are at an increased risk to develop high blood pressure and high cholesterol—key risk factors for heart disease, which is the leading cause of death for both men and women.

Researchers analyzed data from the 2014 National Health Interview Survey to determine the prevalence of occupational noise exposure, hearing difficulties, and heart conditions in various industries and occupations. They also studied the association between workplace noise exposure and heart disease.

• 12% of workers had hearing difficulty, 58% of which can be attributed to occupational noise exposure.
• 24% of workers had high blood pressure, 14% of which can be attributed to occupational noise exposure.
• 28% of workers had high cholesterol, 9% of which can be attributed to occupational noise exposure.

3 Industries with the Highest Prevalence of Occupational Noise Exposure

1. Mining – 61%
2. Construction – 51%
3. Manufacturing – 47%

3 Occupations with the Highest Prevalence of Occupational Noise Exposure

1. Production – 55%
2. Construction and extraction – 54%
3. Installation, maintenance, and repair – 54%

The study also found that certain subsectors of the healthcare and social assistance sectors experience hearing loss rates higher than expected for an industry that has an assumed low exposure to noise.

Those who work in child daycare services, ambulatory and healthcare services, community food and housing, and emergency and other relief services are among the highest risk sectors.

“If noise could be reduced to safer levels in the workplace, more than five million cases of hearing difficulty among noise-exposed workers could potentially be prevented,” says study coauthor Liz Masterson.

Source: cos-mag.com

Turn That Down!

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