Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37715958›Full record

ArticleAnnals of work exposures and health2023

A current affair: worker perceptions of noise exposure and occupational hearing loss in Australian coal mines.

Adelle Liebenberg, Jacques Oosthuizen, Sue Reed

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Annals of work exposures and health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
2.7field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 6 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Adelle LiebenbergPublic Health and Occupational Health & Safety, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-0467-9412
Jacques OosthuizenPublic Health and Occupational Health & Safety, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-1589-5957
Sue ReedPublic Health and Occupational Health & Safety, School of Medical and Health Sciences, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, WA 6027, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-1384-5208
Edith Cowan University · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe objective of the online survey was to determine worker attitudes towards, perceptions on hearing loss, and management of workplace noise; and to identify barriers within current strategies that prevent effective management of hearing health in Australian mines.

designThis cross-sectional study utilized a modified survey design, initially designed for use by Safe Work Australia for a broader study published in 2010. STUDY SAMPLE: The survey questionnaire was made available online to volunteer participants, recruited with the assistance of State and National Health and Safety, and mining organizations. Volunteer participants were required to be proficient in English, be employed by an Australian underground or open cut mine, including coal processing plants; or work as a contractor on one of the specified mine sites. All mining employees, regardless of occupation, job title, and occupational hearing loss classification or status, were invited to complete the questionnaire.

resultsAlmost 60% of respondents indicated that they had high noise exposure for than 10 yr or more, and have some trouble hearing, mostly associated with infrequent tinnitus. Nearly 71% of these workers believe that the noise control strategies in their workplaces are effective, but this mostly refers to the use of hearing protection devices.

conclusionThe results indicate that general knowledge on the cause and effect of noise exposure in the workplace is well understood. However, due to the long latency associated with the development of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), there is an issue urgency in terms of risk management. It is surprising that most of the respondents recommended more inspections and administrative controls, especially since most respondents were health, safety, and environment (HSE) professionals. HSE professionals should be advocating for higher order, more permanent solutions, and not purely administrative controls and personal protective equipment. These findings raise the question of whether there is a multifaceted working-culture issue that needs to be addressed, in combination with higher order control implementation.

Indexed as

Hearing Loss, Noise-InducedOccupational DiseasesOccupational ExposureAustraliaCross-Sectional StudiesHumansMiningminingnoisenoise controloccupational hearing lossworker beliefsworker perceptions

Identifiers

PMID37715958
PMCPMC10683847
OpenAlexW4386799603

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.