Issue:

Communication headsets are now being used in a growing number of workplaces and occupations (law-enforcement, construction industry, phone operators, retail and fast food outlets, etc.). These headsets can lead to high levels of noise exposure from both the signal coming from the headset and the surrounding background noise. Noise-induced hearing loss is one of the most common work-related illnesses that causes problems, not only for the individuals involved, but also for their families and co-workers. Although several national and international standards describe procedures for the measurement of occupational noise exposure when sound sources are far from the workers’ ears, these approaches are not suitable for sound sources close to or covering the ear. Several approaches for measuring noise exposure from headsets have been proposed, but they are difficult to implement in practice as they require complex and costly acoustic equipment.

Objectives:

The aim of this research is to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the different methods to measure noise exposure of workers using communication headsets.

A first objective is to characterize the measurement variability, cross-compatibility and usability of direct methods of assessment that require specialized sound measurement apparatus.
The second objective is to further develop a recently developed indirect calculation method that is much simpler and more accessible than the specialized direct measurement methods.
A final objective is to evaluate direct and indirect methods of measuring headset noise exposure for use in the field use.

Anticipated Results:

At the end of the project, research results will help provide new and comprehensive data on the respective advantages and disadvantages of direct and indirect field methods for assessing headset noise exposure. This will provide OHS practitioners and hearing loss prevention specialists with a comprehensive set of tools to deal with complex noise exposure measurement situations involving communication headsets in the workplace, including an easy-to-apply inexpensive calculation method. It is also anticipated that this work will provide relevant new data for standardization purposes.

Investigators:

Christian Giguère (University of Ottawa)