Whispering test, with masking, can become a dependable test for detecting early hearing loss in industrial workers.
Dear Editor,
Industrial workers are prone for hearing loss, especially in those industries where the noise levels are higher than the accepted norms, and where personal protective equipment are not used, or used without due care. The consequent hearing loss is very much preventable, with institution of appropriate engineering methods where noise generation is reduced, and supplemented by appropriate administrative measures and use of ear mufflers, ear plugs, etc.
Hearing loss can be prevented in industrial workers, but for that we need to be vigilant. Hearing tests and audiometry are the usual modalities available, but these are quite cumbersome and may make a person stay away away from active duty for the duration of the tests. When there are deadlines to be met in production, there might be some difficulty to spare industrial workers for undergoing detailed audiometric examination. In such cases we feel that a simple whispering test, with masking, can be a useful alternative for checking any loss of hearing. We feel that this test can be easily performed by a trained person, not necessarily a doctor or a para-medical, and the results would be reproducible. This test could become a substitute of sorts in industrial workers for detecting hearing loss, by being simple and by requiring a noise-free space. This simple test, with masking, could be of help not only industrial workers, but in all aging population as well to detect early cases of presbycusis.
Best regards.
Competing interests:
No competing interests
15 January 2017
Dr (Lt Col) Rajesh Chauhan
Consultant Family Medicine, Geriatrics, and Industrial Health
Dr. Sudhanshu Saini; Dr. B. S. Chauhan.
Regional Labour Institute, Ministry of Labour, Faridabad, Haryana. INDIA.
Rapid Response:
Whispering test, with masking, can become a dependable test for detecting early hearing loss in industrial workers.
Dear Editor,
Industrial workers are prone for hearing loss, especially in those industries where the noise levels are higher than the accepted norms, and where personal protective equipment are not used, or used without due care. The consequent hearing loss is very much preventable, with institution of appropriate engineering methods where noise generation is reduced, and supplemented by appropriate administrative measures and use of ear mufflers, ear plugs, etc.
Hearing loss can be prevented in industrial workers, but for that we need to be vigilant. Hearing tests and audiometry are the usual modalities available, but these are quite cumbersome and may make a person stay away away from active duty for the duration of the tests. When there are deadlines to be met in production, there might be some difficulty to spare industrial workers for undergoing detailed audiometric examination. In such cases we feel that a simple whispering test, with masking, can be a useful alternative for checking any loss of hearing. We feel that this test can be easily performed by a trained person, not necessarily a doctor or a para-medical, and the results would be reproducible. This test could become a substitute of sorts in industrial workers for detecting hearing loss, by being simple and by requiring a noise-free space. This simple test, with masking, could be of help not only industrial workers, but in all aging population as well to detect early cases of presbycusis.
Best regards.
Competing interests: No competing interests