OCCUPATIONAL HEARING LOSS (OHL) SURVEILLANCE

Overall Statistics – All U.S. Industries

Noise Exposure and Hearing Protection

• About 17% of all workers are exposed to hazardous noise (about 22 million workers).¹
• 34% of noise-exposed workers report not wearing hearing protection.¹

Hearing Loss and Tinnitus

• Approximately 11% of all workers have hearing difficulty.²
• About 8% of all workers have tinnitus.²
• About 19% of noise-exposed tested workers have a material hearing impairment.³ Hearing impairment is hearing loss that impacts day-to-day activities.
• 13% of noise-exposed tested workers have hearing impairment in both ears.⁴

Trends in Hearing Loss Among Noise-Exposed Tested Workers (1981-2010)³

• The prevalence for all industries combined decreased less than 1% over 30 years (1981-2010).
• The incidence for all industries combined decreased 2% over 25 years (1986-2010).
• The adjusted risk for all industries combined decreased 46% over 25 years (1986-2010).

Prevalence of Hearing Loss by Time Period and Industry Sector, 1981 – 2010, for 1,816,812 Workers

Adapted from Figure 1, Masterson et al. 2015

Incidence of Hearing Loss by Time Period and Industry Sector, 1986 – 2010, for 560,320 Workers

Adapted from Figure 2, Masterson et al. 2015

Risk of Incident Hearing Loss Compared to the 1986-1990 Time Period, by Industry Sector, for 560,320 Workers

Adapted from Figure 3, Masterson et al. 2015

1. Tak S, Davis RR, Calvert GM. (2009). Exposure to hazardous workplace noise and use of hearing protection devices among US workers — NHANES, 1999-2004. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 52(5):358-371.
2. Masterson EA, Themann CL, Luckhaupt SE, Li J. & Calvert GM. (2016). Hearing difficulty and tinnitus among U.S. workers and non-workers in 2007. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 59, 290-300.
3. Masterson EA, Deddens JA, Themann CL, Bertke S. & Calvert GM. (2015). Trends in worker hearing loss by industry sector, 1981-2010. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 58, 392-401.
4. Masterson EA, Bushnell PT, Themann CL, & Morata TC. (2016). Hearing impairment among noise-exposed workers — United States, 2003–2012. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 65(15), 389-394.