Hearing Loss in Relation to Occupational Noise Levels among Workers in a Polyester Fiber Factory in Thailand

Abstract

Excessive occupational noise is a problem in all regions around the world and associated with almost every work activity such as manufacturing. In Thailand, synthetic fiber factory is the one business which has high noise level in the workplace. So this study is cross-sectional study which conducted in a Polyester Fiber factory in Pathumthani province during May-June 2015. The purposes of this study to find the prevalence of hearing loss and risk factors associated with hearing loss of Polyester Fiber workers total 119 persons. The study areas are cutting, spinning, drawing process which average 8 hours of noise level in some areas are more than 85 dB(A ). The prevalence of hearing loss is 7.6%. After analyzed the association between independent variables with dependent variables by bivariate analysis and multiple logistic regression, there were 3 major findings as follows: 1. There was no significantly association of any hearing loss with either of the measured noise levels (p > 0.05); 2. In all analyses, risk of hearing loss was significantly higher in subjects who did not always use ear plugs than in those who always used them; 3. Independent variables were more strongly associated with hearing loss in the right ear than with hearing loss in the left ear or hearing loss in either ear. Although prevalence of hearing loss in this study was low, to reduce the burden of hearing loss in the future, hearing conservation programs, and safety and health education for industrial workers, would be desirable.