[Noise and hearing damage in operators of construction machinery]

Spectral analysis of noise and graphical illustrations of total noise levels at working places of assistants of engineering machines in road building activities were performed. Also, otoscopic and audiometric examinations were carried out in 134 assistants of engineering machines. In spite of a relatively intensive noise of a larger number of the examined machines, new perceptive hearing impairment during army service were not found, except for 10,45% cases detected on the day of entering the Y.P.A. service. Absence of acoustic trauma can be explained by short total exposure since 6 months are spent on road building as well as short daily exposure since the working day lasts four hours for assistants and their helpers when working with engineering machines.