Citation

Sawaf OE, Effa F, Arz JP, Grimault N. Int. J. Occup. Safety Ergonomics 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Centralny Instytut Ochrony Pracy - Państwowy Instytut Badawczy, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/10803548.2023.2294624

PMID

38124394

Abstract

A model was developed to assess how elevated absolute thresholds and enlarged auditory filters can impede the ability to detect alarms in noisy background, such alarms being of paramount importance to ensure the safety of workers. Based on previously measured masked thresholds of 80 listeners in 5 groups (normal hearing to strongly impaired), the model was derived from Signal Detection Theory (SDT) applied to Glasberg and Moore's excitation pattern model. The model can describe the influence of absolute thresholds and enlarged auditory filters together or separately on the detection ability for normal hearing and hearing-impaired listeners with various hearing profiles. Furthermore, it suggests that enlarged auditory filters alone can explain all the impairment in this specific alarm detection task. Finally, the possibility of a further development of the model into an alarm detection model is discussed.

Language: en

Keywords

model; detection in noise; hearing impaired; warning signal