Zheng Yun, Giguère Christian, Laroche Chantal, Sabourin Catherine, Gagné Ariel, Elyea Mélissa
Audiology and Speech Language Pathology Program, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
J Occup Environ Hyg. 2007 Feb;4(2):87-98. doi: 10.1080/15459620601115768.
A psychoacoustic model is presented to facilitate the installation of acoustic warning devices in noisy settings, reflecting a major upgrade of a former tool, Detectsound. The model can be used to estimate the optimal level and spectrum of acoustic warning signals based on the noise field in the workplace, the hearing status of workers, and the attenuation provided by hearing protectors. The new version can be applied to a wider range of situations. Analyses can now be conducted to meet the functional requirements for a specific worker or to suit the needs for a group of co-workers sharing a work area. Computation of optimal warning signals can also be made from estimated hearing parameters based on the worker age, gender, and level and duration of noise exposure. The results of a laboratory validation study showed that the mean error in estimating detection thresholds for normal hearing individuals is typically within +/-1 dB with a standard deviation of less than 2.5 dB in white noise or continuous noise fields. The model tends to yield slightly overestimated warning signal detection thresholds in fluctuating noises. Proper application of the tool also requires consideration of the variability in estimating noise levels, hearing status, and hearing protector attenuation under field conditions to ensure that acoustic warning signals are sufficiently loud and well adjusted in practice.
提出了一种心理声学模型，以促进在嘈杂环境中安装声学警告装置，这反映了先前工具Detectsound的重大升级。该模型可用于根据工作场所的噪声场、工人的听力状况以及听力保护器提供的衰减来估计声学警告信号的最佳水平和频谱。新版本可应用于更广泛的情况。现在可以进行分析，以满足特定工人的功能要求或适应共享工作区域的一组同事的需求。还可以根据工人的年龄、性别以及噪声暴露水平和持续时间的估计听力参数来计算最佳警告信号。实验室验证研究结果表明，在白噪声或连续噪声场中，正常听力个体检测阈值估计的平均误差通常在+/-1 dB以内，标准差小于2.5 dB。该模型在波动噪声中往往会产生略微高估的警告信号检测阈值。正确应用该工具还需要考虑现场条件下噪声水平、听力状况和听力保护器衰减估计的变异性，以确保声学警告信号在实际中足够响亮且调整良好。
