The prevalence of noise-induced hearing loss among Tanzanian miners

Abstract

BackgroundTanzania has a young mining history with several operating open pit and underground mines. No prevalence studies of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) have been conducted among mine workers to provide an impetus for the development of comprehensive hearing protection programmes.AimsTo determine the prevalence of NIHL and associated factors among miners in a major gold mining company operating in Tanzania. Associated risk factors such as age, sex and duration of exposure were examined.MethodsAudiograms obtained from periodic medical examinations were categorized using the UK Health & Safety Executive system.ResultsA total of 246 audiograms were studied. The prevalence of NIHL was 47%, with 12% with poor hearing and 35% with mild hearing impairment. The proportion of NIHL increased with total years of exposure to noise. Underground miners were more affected (71%) than open pit miners (28%). These findings were statistically significant. The highest proportion of miners with NIHL (60%) was among the youngest age group (20–29 years).ConclusionsThere was a high prevalence of NIHL in the company under study. There was a strong correlation with type of mining, age and years of exposure. The findings have been used to develop comprehensive hearing conservation programmes.

Noise Exposure and Hearing Loss among Brewery Workers in Lagos, Nigeria

“…A significant improvement was observed in terms of noise-induced hearing loss among workers. We have observed a healthy population with an overall average proportion of NIHL of 12.9% (95% CI: 10.1-16.2), which is quite high for western standards but is significantly lower than previously reported cases in sub-Saharan Africa [9,10]. Safety at workplace appeared to be a term that has entered the common language and precautions are taken seriously against the hazards of loud noise.…”

“…Both of these domains report alarming proportions of noise-induced hearing loss. Musiba et al [9] reported a proportion of NIHL as high as 47% within a population of Tanzanian miners. This is paired with a lack of hearing conservation programs (HCP) as reported by Moroe et al [11] Nigeria is a rapidly developing country with growing industries where occupational hazards are a widely unknown subject [11].…”

“…Specifically, few researches can be found on the subject of NIHL in sub-Saharan Africa. The little information comes from industries such as mining [9] and power plants [10]. Both of these domains report alarming proportions of noise-induced hearing loss.…”

Prevalence of Hearing Loss and Hearing Impairment among Small and Medium Enterprise Workers in Selangor, Malaysia

“…When compared to the hearing loss prevalence of workers in other countries, the prevalence of respondents in this study showed a more severe condition as it was higher. Prevalence of hearing loss in other countries included 22% among New York farmers (Hwang et al 2001), 56.8% among Nigerian steel rolling mill workers (Ologe et al 2006), 44.2% among Brazilian metallurgical workers (Geovanna et al 2014) and 47.0% among Tanzanian miners (Musiba 2015).…”

Validation of an Awareness and Preparedness on a Hearing Conservation Program Questionnaire: A Cross Sectional Study in Thailand

“…1,2 The HCP is an action program that includes at least 7 elements but the current HCP program has only (i) monitoring, (ii) audiometric testing, (iii) hearing protection devices (HPD), (iv) employee training and education, and (v) record keeping. 1,2 However, an increase in the prevalence of NIHL was reported in various countries [3][4][5][6] and in Thailand. The percentage of Thai workers who reported NIHL 7 increased from 1.2% in 2000 to 4.7% in 2001.…”