The Hearing Level among the Workers of Cement Industry

ABSTRACT

Objective: In this study our main goal is to evaluate thehearing level among the workers of cement industry.Methodology: This Cross-sectional observational study wasconducted at Department of Physiology, Chittagong MedicalCollege, Chittagong and Heidelbargh Cement Bangladesh Ltd.East Halishar, Chittagong, One year (January 2011 toDecember 2011). Where total number of 800 (Eight hundred)subjects were included. During the study, all subjects wereselected purposively on the basis of noise exposure studyprocedure. After selection and proper counseling, the aim,objective and procedure of the study was explained in detailsto all subjects, in the cement industry.Results: During the study highest frequency of hearing losswas found in 30-40 years age group. Most of the patientsworked in production area for 5-10 years. most of the patientsexposed to 70-80dB, 41.4%.51.6% patients exposed >8 hoursdaily and 65.5% patients exposed 42-48 hours weekly.Conclusion: From our study we can conclude that the studyclearly demonstrated that noise is a serious health hazard inthe cement industry. Hearing threshold for the subjectsexposed to noise increase with the progress of age andduration of employment. Further study is needed for betteroutcome.