Universal Journal of Public Health Vol. 12(5), pp. 811 - 819
DOI: 10.13189/ujph.2024.120503
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A Critical Assessment of Occupational Noise Exposure and Relevant Variables for Hearing Disturbances: A Study among Watercraft Personnel

Kresna Febriyanto ^1,2, Joana Cristina Cardoso Guedes ¹, Luis João Rodrigues Das Neves Correia Mourão ³, Nida Amalia ², Boy Putra Anggara Prasetyo ², Ferry Fadzlul Rahman ^2,*
1 Faculty of Engineering, University of Porto, Portugal
² Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Muhammadiyah Kalimantan Timur, Indonesia
³ CIETI/NBIN, Instituto Superior de Engenharia do Porto (ISEP), Polytechnic of Porto, Portugal

ABSTRACT

Noise pollution is one of the newly emerging environmental issues associated with ships. Despite numerous efforts to reduce noise, noise levels on board remain above the threshold limit value (TLV). The aims of present study were to classify levels of occupational noise, hearing disturbances, and identify other factors that impact hearing loss. From July to August 2022, this cross-sectional study was enrolled among speedboat members. We used sound level meter as a noise measurement, and audiometer for assessing hearing problems. The questionnaires were used to support the data with the questions according to age, job position, Body Mass Index (BMI), years of working, work duration in a day, smoking and alcohol consumption, physical activities, and hobbies during leisure time. Chi-Square test was used to find out the relationship between the variables. The captain's position does not exceed the TLV (average noise level was 85.45 dBA). In contrast, six speedboats in the crew's location exceeded TLV based on the length of exposure duration. A total of 109 participants (83.8%) had hearing loss, with the majority suffering from mild (40.8%), moderate (39.2%), and severe (3.8%) levels. Except for job position, all independent variables were related to hearing impairment. Due to prolonged exposure to noise, high decibel levels, and other factors, members of speedboats are susceptible to hearing loss. Age, BMI, and other lifestyle factors such as smoking, alcohol consumption, recreational activities, and daily exercise will also contribute to their hearing problem.

KEYWORDS
Workplace Noise, Assessment, Monitoring, Hearing Impairment, Speedboat, Ship, Vessel, Seafarers, Sailors

Cite This Paper in IEEE or APA Citation Styles
(a). IEEE Format:
[1] Kresna Febriyanto , Joana Cristina Cardoso Guedes , Luis João Rodrigues Das Neves Correia Mourão , Nida Amalia , Boy Putra Anggara Prasetyo , Ferry Fadzlul Rahman , "A Critical Assessment of Occupational Noise Exposure and Relevant Variables for Hearing Disturbances: A Study among Watercraft Personnel," Universal Journal of Public Health, Vol. 12, No. 5, pp. 811 - 819, 2024. DOI: 10.13189/ujph.2024.120503.

(b). APA Format:
Kresna Febriyanto , Joana Cristina Cardoso Guedes , Luis João Rodrigues Das Neves Correia Mourão , Nida Amalia , Boy Putra Anggara Prasetyo , Ferry Fadzlul Rahman (2024). A Critical Assessment of Occupational Noise Exposure and Relevant Variables for Hearing Disturbances: A Study among Watercraft Personnel. Universal Journal of Public Health, 12(5), 811 - 819. DOI: 10.13189/ujph.2024.120503.