TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2014//
TI  - Does tinnitus, hearing asymmetry, or hearing loss predispose to occupational injury risk?
JO  - International journal of audiology
A1  - Cantley, Linda F.
A1  - Galusha, Deron
A1  - Cullen, Mark R.
A1  - Dixon-Ernst, Christine
A1  - Tessier-Sherman, Baylah
A1  - Slade, Martin D.
A1  - Rabinowitz, Peter M.
A1  - Neitzel, Richard L.
SP  - S30
EP  - 6
VL  - 54 Suppl 1
IS  - 
N2  - OBJECTIVE: To determine the relative contributions of tinnitus, asymmetrical hearing loss, low frequency hearing loss (pure tone average of 0.5, 1, 2, 3 kHz; PTA.5123), or high frequency hearing loss (pure tone average of 4, 6 kHz; PTA46), to acute injury risk among a cohort of production and maintenance workers at six aluminum manufacturing plants, adjusting for ambient noise exposure and other recognized predictors of injury risk. <br><br>DESIGN: Retrospective analysis. Study sample: The study considered 9920 workers employed during 2003 to 2008. The cohort consisted of 8818 workers (89%) whose complete records were available. <br><br>RESULTS: Adjusting for noise exposure and other recognized injury predictors, a 25% increased acute injury risk was observed among workers with a history of tinnitus in conjunction with high-frequency hearing loss (PTA46). Low frequency hearing loss may be associated with minor, yet less serious, injury risk. We did not find evidence that asymmetry contributes to injury risk. <br><br>CONCLUSION: These results provide evidence that tinnitus, combined with high-frequency hearing loss, may pose an important safety threat to workers, especially those who work in high-noise exposed environments. These at risk workers may require careful examination of their communication and hearing protection needs.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1499-2027
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/14992027.2014.981305
ID  - ref1
ER  -