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Noise exposure and hearing status among call center operators
Malgorzata Pawlaczyk-Luszczynska1, Adam Dudarewicz1, Małgorzata Zamojska-Daniszewska1
1Department of Physical Hazards, Nofer Institute of Occupational Medicine, Lodz, Poland.
Call center operators experience daily noise exposure levels up to 79 dBA. While most have normal hearing, some show signs of high-frequency hearing loss and report related symptoms, warranting further investigation into noise-induced hearing loss risks.
Area of Science:
- Occupational health
- Audiology
- Environmental health
Background:
- Call center operators are exposed to noise from communication headsets and office environments.
- Assessing noise exposure and hearing thresholds is crucial for understanding occupational hearing health risks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate noise exposure levels in call center operators.
- To assess audiometric hearing threshold levels (HTLs) in this population.
- To investigate the prevalence of hearing-related symptoms and risk factors for noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL).
Main Methods:
- Standard and extended high-frequency audiometry performed on 78 participants (aged 19-44).
- Inquiry on headset usage, hearing symptoms, and NIHL risk factors.
- Noise exposure measurement using ISO 11904-1:2002 (headsets) and ISO 9612:2009 (office background noise).
Main Results:
- Personal daily noise exposure ranged from 68-79 dBA (mean 74.7 dBA).
- Most participants (92.3%) had normal hearing (0.25-8 kHz), but HTLs were worse than expected median values.
- High-frequency hearing loss (8.3%) and speech-frequency hearing loss (6.4%) were observed, with notches in 15.4% of audiograms.
Conclusions:
- Call center operators exhibit hearing thresholds deviating from normal, particularly at higher frequencies.
- Reported hearing symptoms suggest potential adverse effects of occupational noise exposure.
- Further research is required to establish definitive conclusions on NIHL risk in this group.
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