Article Sidebar
Article Details
Copyright remains in the Author’s name. The work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution - Noncommercial Works License. Authors are required to complete and sign an Author Agreement form that outlines Author and Publisher rights and terms of publication. The Agreement form should be uploaded along with other submissions files and any submission will be considered incomplete without it [forthcoming].
Material submitted for publication in the SAMJ is accepted provided it has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere. Please inform the editorial team if the main findings of your paper have been presented at a conference and published in abstract form, to avoid copyright infringement. The SAMJ does not hold itself responsible for statements made by the authors.
Previously published images
If an image/figure has been previously published, permission to reproduce or alter it must be obtained by the authors from the original publisher and the figure legend must give full credit to the original source. This credit should be accompanied by a letter indicating that permission to reproduce the image has been granted to the author/s. This letter should be uploaded as a supplementary file during submission.
Main Article Content
Hearing Impairment Caused by Occupational Noise
Abstract
Occupational noise-induced hearing impairment is an insidiously developing injury which only becomes apparent when it affects the hearing of conversational speech. As no remedy is possible, prevention is the only answer. In view of the impending legislation in South Africa a review of the literature is presented. This is confined to the auditory effects of potentially hazardous occupational noise in industry. Two principal properties of soundintensity and frequency-are briefly discussed. In the study of exposure to noise important factors are: (a) over-all noise level, (b) exposure duration in a working day, and (c) exposure duration over a working lifetime. The data derived from studies of hearing loss and of temporary threshold shift make it possible to predict the risk-percentage (incidence) and to some extent the amount of hearing loss resulting from exposure to a certain noise environment in the exposed population of workers. This enables appropriate authorities to set acceptable limits as criteria. If these are exceeded hearing conservation programmes, aimed at reducing the hazard, are indicated. Some features of these are mentioned and the value of audiometry is pointed out, especially for attempts to establish high susceptibility to suffer hearing loss in individuals. An outline of regulations regarding hearing impairment compensation in other countries is given. A few remarks are made on the role of the medical practitioner in industrial hearing conservation programmes.
