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Comparison of criteria for significant threshold shift in workplace hearing conservation programs
William E Daniell1, Bert D Stover, Tim K Takaro
1Department of Environmental Health, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, Box 357234, Seattle, WA 98195-7234, USA. bdaniell@u.washington.edu
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
|March 29, 2003
Summary
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) found its recommended hearing loss indicator effective, but evaluation methods impact criterion differences. Differences between databases suggest limited importance of smaller criterion variations in workplace audiometric surveillance.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Audiology
- Industrial Hygiene
Background:
- Workplace audiometric surveillance programs monitor occupational hearing loss.
- The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommended replacing the Standard Threshold Shift (STS) as the primary hearing loss indicator.
- Evaluating alternative criteria is crucial for accurate hearing loss detection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the relative accuracy of eight candidate threshold-shift criteria for detecting hearing loss over time.
- To compare these criteria using two distinct evaluation methods.
- To assess the findings against the NIOSH recommendation.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of 1220 workers at the Hanford nuclear facility.
- Eight-year follow-up within a hearing conservation program.
- Comparison of eight threshold-shift criteria using two evaluation methodologies.
Main Results:
- The NIOSH-recommended criterion performed as one of the better options.
- Evaluation method differences influenced the visibility of distinctions between top-performing criteria.
- Significant between-database differences were observed, potentially diminishing the importance of minor criterion variations.
Conclusions:
- The NIOSH criterion is a viable option for hearing loss detection.
- The choice of evaluation method is critical in assessing the performance of different audiometric criteria.
- Further investigation into database discrepancies is warranted to fully understand the implications for workplace hearing loss surveillance.