Assessment of Occupational Noise Exposure among Groundskeepers in North Carolina Public Universities

Groundskeepers may have increased risk to noise-induced hearing loss due to the performance of excessively noisy tasks. This study assessed the exposure of groundskeepers to noise in multiple universities and determined the association between noise exposure and variables (ie, university, month, too...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEnvironmental Health Insights Vol. 2016; no. 2016; pp. 83 - 92
Main Authors Balanay, Jo Anne G., Kearney, Gregory D., Mannarino, Adam J.
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published London, England Libertas Academica 01.01.2016
SAGE Publishing
SAGE Publications
Sage Publications Ltd
Subjects
Dosimeters
Dosimetry
Exposure
Federal agencies
Hearing loss
Hearing protection
Levels
Noise
Noise levels
Noise monitoring
Occupational exposure
Occupational health
Occupational safety
Original Research
Sound
Sound pressure
ANW, USA, North Carolina
noise dosimetry
exposure assessment
occupational noise
noise exposure
public universities
groundskeepers
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Summary:Groundskeepers may have increased risk to noise-induced hearing loss due to the performance of excessively noisy tasks. This study assessed the exposure of groundskeepers to noise in multiple universities and determined the association between noise exposure and variables (ie, university, month, tool used). Personal noise exposures were monitored during the work shift using noise dosimetry. A sound level meter was used to measure the maximum sound pressure levels from groundskeeping equipment. The mean Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) time-weighted average (TWA) noise exposures were 83.0 ± 9.6 and 88.0 ± 6.7 dBA, respectively. About 52% of the OSHA TWAs and 77% of the NIOSH TWAs exceeded 85 dBA. Riding mower use was associated with high TWA noise exposures and with having OSHA TWAs exceeding 85 and 90 dBA. The maximum sound pressure levels of equipment and tools measured ranged from 76 to 109 dBA, 82% of which were ＞85 dBA. These findings support that groundskeepers have excessive noise exposures, which may be effectively reduced through careful scheduling of the use of noisy equipment/tools.
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ISSN:1178-6302
1178-6302
DOI:10.4137/EHI.S39682