Noise Exposure The Need for New Measurements on Aircraft Carriers

• Published in: Professional safety Vol. 60; no. 6; pp. 50 - 54
• Main Authors: Morris, Gary A., Bryant, Justin, Kleine, Kim, Dean, Amanda
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Des Plaines American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) 01.06.2015; American Society of Safety Engineers; ASSE
• Subjects: Aircraft carriers; Armed forces; Blood pressure; Dosimetry; Employees; Hearing loss; Hearing Protection: Peer-Reviewed; Noise control; Noise pollution; Occupational hazards; Occupational health and safety regulation; Quality of life; Studies; Warships; United States > US
• ISSN: 0099-0027; 2163-6176

In Brief Noise-induced hearing loss is a serious threat to U.S. Navy personnel and costs the Department of Veterans Affairs hundreds of millions of dollars each year. New noise exposure data are needed to determine noise exposure across multiple Navy ratings and identify steps toward noise reduction. Past noise level research conducted aboard aircraft carriers is inadequate due to potential electromagnetic interference that may have affected data; the lack of data collection for 24-hour exposure periods; and the lack of task-based noise exposure information. The authors conducted a study to record noise doses and assess the contribution of each operation aboard the USS Ronald Reagan. Exposure groups were created for further study and operations were identified for noise reduction efforts. For U.S. Navy personnel aboard an aircraft carrier, exposure to noise often does not end with a work shift, which already may exceed 8 hours. Noise hazard environments from shipboard operations may significantly expose personnel beyond 8 hours. Significant noise exposures such as those found aboard an aircraft carrier pose serious health risks beyond the auditory system. For example, according to Stansfeld and Matheson (2003), employees who are regularly exposed to sound levels at or above 85 dBA have higher blood pressure than those who are not. In one study, hypertension was shown to have directly resulted from aircraft noise, a significant noise contributor on aircraft carriers. Although this symptom may be associated with other factors present in high-noise environments, further study should be pursued to gauge the risk noise poses to blood pressure. Noise exposures above 85 dBA also affect the central nervous system (e.g., heightened levels of adrenaline). Stansfeld and Matheson (2003) also report that noise exposure can cause annoyance that can lead to anger, anxiety and more serious psychological problems. This study aimed to collect new data using the current guidance and requirements specified in the Department of Defense (DOD) Instruction 6055.12, Hearing Conservation Program (HCP). HCPs are designed to prevent noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). The DOD program is the standard that applies to U.S. Navy operations and, thus, is the relevant standard for the study. The permissible exposure limit (PEL) under this program is 85 dBA, which means an employee should not be exposed to an average sound level above 85 dBA for an 8-hour shift. Therefore, employees should be included in the HCP when their exposure is at or above 85 dBA. They should also be enrolled if impulse, or instantaneous, noise reaches 140 dB. (It should be noted that OSHA's occupational noise exposure standard sets the PEL at 90 dBA, but requires implementation of an HCP at 85 dBA. Since this study involves military operations, the DOD standard is the applicable measure.) To accomplish this study, the researchers aimed to characterize the entire 24-hour noise exposure for personnel aboard a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier. These exposures are important to understand because NIHL claims are a significant financial burden for the U.S. military and Department of Veterans Affairs. According to a 2006 report, the Veterans Administration (VA) spent $137 million in disability payments to former Navy personnel for hearing loss in FY 2005 (Bowes, Shaw, Trost, et al., 2006). This figure reflected an increase of $94 million in spending by VA on Navy hearing disability payments compared to 1999 figures.