School of Health Systems and Public Health, Faculty of Public Health, University of Pretoria, Pretoria.
S Afr J Commun Disord. 2024 Jan 17;71(1):e1-e12. doi: 10.4102/sajcd.v71i1.966.
Negative attitudes and beliefs are major contributing factors to the rising numbers of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) cases in coal mines both locally and internationally. International literature confirms limited knowledge surrounding employees' attitudes and beliefs regarding NIHL and hearing protection devices (HPDs), hence the need for the study.
To ascertain the attitudes and beliefs about NIHL and HPD use among employees at a large scale underground coal mine in Mpumalanga.
A descriptive and exploratory cross-sectional study was conducted using a self-administered questionnaire, developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) on Beliefs about Hearing Protection and Hearing Loss (BHPHL). Participants (n = 241) included employees from a coal mine in Mpumalanga, South Africa.
Out of 241 completed surveys, this study found that 84% were aware of when to replace earmuffs; 95% believed wearing HPDs could prevent hearing loss in noisy environments; 83% felt their hearing was impacted by loud noise. Additionally, 86% mentioned discomfort from earmuff pressure; 95% emphasised HPD importance; and 95% used HPDs around loud sounds. Moreover, 98% knew how to properly wear earplugs, while lower education levels were linked to higher susceptibility to NIHL.
The study identified positive attitudes towards NIHL and HPD use, but existing NIHL cases must be acknowledged. Organisations can use the findings to develop tailored hearing conservation programmes (HCP), including education, involving employees in protection decisions and promoting diligent HPD usage.Contribution: This study contributes to the limited literature on noise perceptions, NIHL, and HPD use in mining, emphasising the impact attitude has on HPD use and assessing the effect of miners NIHL knowledge on compliance. The findings, unique to coal mining, hold significance for enhancing hearing conservation and reducing NIHL.
无论是在本地还是国际范围内，消极的态度和观念都是导致煤矿中噪声性听力损失（NIHL）病例不断增加的主要因素。国际文献证实，员工对 NIHL 和听力保护装置（HPD）的态度和观念的了解有限，因此需要进行这项研究。
确定在姆普马兰加省一家大型地下煤矿的员工对 NIHL 和 HPD 使用的态度和观念。
采用横断面描述性和探索性研究，使用国家职业安全与健康研究所（NIOSH）开发的关于听力保护和听力损失信念的自我管理问卷（BHPHL）。参与者（n=241）包括南非姆普马兰加省一家煤矿的员工。
在 241 份完成的调查中，本研究发现 84%的人知道何时更换耳塞；95%的人认为在嘈杂环境中佩戴 HPD 可以预防听力损失；83%的人认为噪音会对听力造成影响。此外，86%的人提到耳塞的压力带来不适；95%的人强调 HPD 的重要性；95%的人在听到大声噪音时使用 HPD。此外，98%的人知道如何正确佩戴耳塞，而较低的教育水平与对 NIHL 的更高易感性相关。
该研究发现了员工对 NIHL 和 HPD 使用的积极态度，但仍需认识到现有的 NIHL 病例。组织可以利用这些发现制定有针对性的听力保护计划（HCP），包括教育、让员工参与保护决策以及促进对 HPD 的勤勉使用。
本研究对矿山噪声感知、NIHL 和 HPD 使用方面的有限文献做出了贡献，强调了态度对 HPD 使用的影响，并评估了矿工对 NIHL 知识的了解对合规性的影响。这些发现对加强听力保护和减少 NIHL 具有重要意义，且仅适用于煤矿。
