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A job-exposure matrix for occupational noise: development and validation.
Mattias Sjöström1, Marie Lewné, Magnus Alderling
1Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. mattias.sjostrom@ki.se
The Annals of Occupational Hygiene
|February 6, 2013
Summary
A new job-exposure matrix (JEM) for occupational noise in Sweden (1970-2004) was developed and validated. The JEM provides reliable estimates of noise exposure across job families, showing good agreement between expert groups.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Hygiene
- Environmental Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Occupational noise exposure is a significant risk factor for hearing loss and other health issues.
- Accurate assessment of historical occupational noise exposure is crucial for epidemiological studies.
- Sweden lacked a comprehensive job-exposure matrix for occupational noise covering a long historical period.
Observation:
- A job-exposure matrix (JEM) was developed for 321 Swedish job families from 1970 to 2004.
- Noise levels were categorized as <75 dB(A), 75-84 dB(A), or ≥85 dB(A) on a 5-year scale.
- Peak noise exposure risk was also assessed.
Findings:
- The JEM demonstrated good validity, with approximately 80% agreement between two independent groups of occupational hygienists.
- No systematic differences were found in the classification of average noise levels.
- A systematic difference in relative position was observed for peak noise level classification.
Implications:
- The validated JEM provides a valuable tool for estimating historical occupational noise exposure in Sweden.
- This matrix can enhance the power of epidemiological studies investigating the health effects of noise.
- The JEM will be made available for further research and collaboration.
