OCCUPATIONAL HEARING LOSS (OHL) SURVEILLANCE

Healthcare and Social Assistance (HSA) Statistics

Noise Exposure and Hearing Protection

• About 4% of all workers in HSA are exposed to hazardous noise.¹
• 74% of noise-exposed HSA workers report not wearing hearing protection.¹

Hearing Loss and Tinnitus

• Approximately 10% of all HSA workers have hearing difficulty.²
• About 7% of all HSA workers have tinnitus.²
• About 18% of noise-exposed tested HSA workers have a material hearing impairment.³ Hearing impairment is hearing loss that impacts day-to-day activities.
• 11% of noise-exposed tested HSA workers have hearing impairment in both ears.⁴

Trends Among Noise-Exposed Tested HSA Workers (1981-2010)³

• The prevalence for HSA increased 7% over 25 years (1986-2010) as compared with a less than 1% reduction for all industries during the same time period.
• The incidence for HSA increased 2% over 15 years (1996-2010) as compared with a 1% reduction for all industries during the same time period.
• The adjusted risk for HSA decreased 9% over 15 years (1996-2010) as compared with a 15% reduction for all industries over the same time period. There was insufficient sample size to examine the HSA adjusted risks from 1986-1995, and this was not plotted.

Prevalence of Hearing Loss by Time Period and Industry Sector, 1981 – 2010, for 1,816,812 Workers


Adapted from Figure 1, Masterson et al. 2015

Incidence of Hearing Loss by Time Period and Industry Sector, 1986 – 2010, for 560,320 Workers


Adapted from Figure 2, Masterson et al. 2015

Sources:

1. Tak S, Davis RR, Calvert GM. (2009). Exposure to hazardous workplace noise and use of hearing protection devices among US workers — NHANES, 1999-2004. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 52(5):358-371.
2. Masterson EA, Themann CL, Luckhaupt SE, Li J. & Calvert GM. (2016). Hearing difficulty and tinnitus among U.S. workers and non-workers in 2007. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 59, 290-300.
3. Masterson EA, Deddens JA, Themann CL, Bertke S. & Calvert GM. (2015). Trends in worker hearing loss by industry sector, 1981-2010. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 58, 392-401.
4. Masterson EA, Bushnell PT, Themann CL, & Morata TC. (2016). Hearing impairment among noise-exposed workers — United States, 2003–2012. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 65(15), 389-394.