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Noise exposure during alpine helicopter rescue operations.
Thomas E A H Küpper1, Jürgen Steffgen, Paul Jansing
1Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Technical University of Aachen, Kullenhofstrasse 50, D-52057, Germany. tkuepper@ukaachen.de
The Annals of Occupational Hygiene
|July 9, 2004
Summary
Alpine helicopter rescue crews face significant noise exposure. Regular exposure to high equivalent noise levels poses a risk of permanent hearing loss for crew members.
Area of Science:
- Aerospace Medicine
- Occupational Health
- Audiology
Background:
- Helicopter rescue operations are critical in alpine environments.
- Crew members in these systems are potentially exposed to hazardous noise levels.
- Understanding noise exposure is vital for crew well-being and operational safety.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the noise exposure experienced by personnel operating in alpine helicopter rescue systems.
- To assess the risk of noise-induced hearing loss for helicopter crews.
- To inform noise prevention strategies for both crew and patients.
Main Methods:
- Noise levels were measured for various helicopter models (Alouette III, Alouette II 'Lama', Ecureuil, BK 117) using a Class 2 DIN IEC 651 compliant device.
- Flight data for personnel was integrated with noise measurements.
- Equivalent noise levels were calculated according to DIN 45645-2 standards.
Main Results:
- Crew members are regularly exposed to equivalent noise levels exceeding 85 dB(A).
- This level of exposure places crews at risk of developing permanent threshold shifts (hearing loss).
- In contrast, noise exposure for patients is generally limited to temporary threshold shifts.
Conclusions:
- Alpine helicopter rescue crews face a substantial risk of permanent hearing damage due to occupational noise exposure.
- The findings necessitate a review of current noise prevention measures for crew members.
- Consideration should be given to the impact of noise on crew fitness to fly and patient safety.