National Institutes of Health, Philippine National Ear Institute, University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines.
University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital, Manila, Philippines.
J Occup Environ Hyg. 2024 May;21(5):342-352. doi: 10.1080/15459624.2024.2315164. Epub 2024 Mar 15.
Traffic enforcers are exposed to various occupational health and safety hazards, including noise pollution, which may lead to occupational hearing loss. This cross-sectional study aimed to estimate the prevalence of hearing loss and to assess the relationship between occupational noise exposure level (ONEL) and abnormalities in air conduction thresholds among Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) employees along Epifanio delos Santos Avenue, Philippines. Eight-hour ONELs were measured among 108 participants working with greater than 5 years of service. Participants had hearing evaluations using pure tone audiometry (PTA) to calculate the prevalence of hearing loss. Generalized linear models with a Poisson distribution were fitted to estimate the association between ONEL and audiologic abnormalities, controlling for confounding factors. Approximately 16% of employees had hearing loss. The prevalence of hearing loss was higher with ONEL exposures greater than 85 A-weighted decibels (dBA), with traffic enforcers exposed to higher ONELs than office workers. ONELs greater than 85 dBA were related to audiologic abnormalities at different frequencies in PTA. The prevalence of audiologic abnormalities at 4000 Hz and 6000 Hz was 48% higher (adjusted prevalence ratio [aPR], 1.48; 95% CI, 1.12-1.96) and 25% higher (aPR, 1.25; 95% CI, 1.00-1.55), respectively, among participants with ONELs greater than 85 dBA than with ONELs less than or equal to 85 dBA. Participants exposed to ONELs greater than 85 dBA, more likely traffic enforcers, may have increased risk of audiologic abnormalities. Regular ONEL monitoring is warranted for occupational risk assessment of traffic enforcers. A hearing conservation program may need to be considered for this population. Additional studies are needed to determine trends in hearing deterioration among traffic enforcers.
交通执法人员面临各种职业健康和安全危害，包括噪声污染，这可能导致职业性听力损失。本横断面研究旨在估计听力损失的患病率，并评估菲律宾马尼拉大都会发展署（MMDA）沿埃皮法尼奥·德尔·罗萨里奥大道（Epifanio delos Santos Avenue）工作的员工职业噪声暴露水平（ONEL）与空气传导阈值异常之间的关系。对 108 名工作服务年限超过 5 年的参与者进行了 8 小时 ONEL 测量。使用纯音听力计（PTA）对参与者进行听力评估，以计算听力损失的患病率。使用泊松分布广义线性模型拟合来估计 ONEL 与听力学异常之间的关联，同时控制混杂因素。约 16%的员工有听力损失。ONEL 暴露大于 85 加权分贝（dBA）时，听力损失的患病率更高，与办公室工作人员相比，交通执法人员接触的 ONEL 更高。ONEL 大于 85 dBA 与 PTA 中不同频率的听力学异常有关。ONEL 大于 85 dBA 的参与者在 4000 Hz 和 6000 Hz 的听力学异常患病率分别高出 48%（调整后的患病率比 [aPR]，1.48；95%CI，1.12-1.96）和 25%（aPR，1.25；95%CI，1.00-1.55）。与 ONEL 小于或等于 85 dBA 的参与者相比，ONEL 大于 85 dBA 的参与者更有可能是交通执法人员，他们可能有听力异常的风险增加。需要对交通执法人员进行职业风险评估的职业噪声暴露进行定期监测。可能需要考虑为该人群制定听力保护计划。需要进一步的研究来确定交通执法人员听力恶化的趋势。
