Does tinnitus, hearing asymmetry, or hearing loss predispose to occupational injury risk?

Abstract

Objective To determine the relative contributions of tinnitus, asymmetrical hearing loss, low frequency hearing loss (pure tone average of .5, 1, 2, 3 kHz, PTA.5123), or high frequency hearing loss (pure tone average of 4, 6 kHz, PTA46), to acute injury risk among a cohort of production and maintenance workers at six aluminum manufacturing plants, adjusting for ambient noise exposure and other recognized predictors of injury risk. Design and Study Sample This retrospective analysis considered 9,920 workers employed during 2003 to 2008. The cohort consisted of 8,818 workers (89%) whose complete records were available. Results Adjusting for noise exposure and other recognized injury predictors, a 25% increased acute injury risk was observed among workers with a history of tinnitus in conjunction with high-frequency hearing loss (PTA46). Low frequency hearing loss may be associated with minor, yet less serious, injury risk. We did not find evidence that asymmetry contributes to injury risk. Conclusion These results provide evidence that tinnitus, combined with high-frequency hearing loss, may pose an important safety threat to workers, especially those who work in high-noise exposed environments. These at risk workers may require careful examination of their communication and hearing protection needs.

The Influence of Working Conditions, Health Status and Characteristics of Workers on the Occurrence of Workplace Injuries

“…The results of this study also indicated that neuroses, arterial hypertension, eye diseases, hearing disturbances, and overweight and obesity were significantly more present in the group of workers who had workplace injuries, compared with the workers who had not, which was in accordance with the literature data (24,25,26).…”

Prevalence of Hazardous Occupational Noise Exposure, Hearing Loss, and Hearing Protection Usage Among a Representative Sample of Working Canadians

“…Furthermore, the presence of tinnitus and/or NIHL has implications for worker safety, as they are often associated with impaired speech discrimination and a higher risk of accidents in the workplace. 2 , 22 , 114 , 115 …”

Characteristics of Workplace Injuries among Nineteen Thousand Korean Firefighters

“…This may be because noise blocks communication with co-workers and masks warning signals at the fire ground ( 15 16 ). If workers have hearing defects, the risk of occupational injury may be increased ( 17 ). High frequency noise can be caused by sirens while driving emergency cars or fire trucks, when handling various equipment such as water pumps and saws or with sudden explosions at the fire ground ( 18 ).…”