International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health 2007;20(2):127 – 136 DOI 10.2478/v10001-007-0016-2 OCCUPATIONALLY-ACQUIRED NOISE-INDUCED HEARING LOSS: A SENSELESS WORKPLACE

Objectives: Occupational noise-induced hearing loss (ONIHL) describes an acquired hearing defi ciency directly attributable to excessive workplace noise exposure. Data suggest that excessive noise attributes to ~37 % of all adult causes of hearing loss and remains a signifi cant contributor to employment-related morbidity internationally. Typically insidiously-acquired, often without frank progressive symptomatology, regional medical agencies continue to struggle with this potentially debilitating condition. The aim of the study was to provide a synopsis of the current understanding of ONIHL, its impact on individual workers and the wider international community, and to identify barriers to more uniform adoption of personal hearing protection. Materials and Methods: A review of the contemporary literature was performed using defi ned keyword searches and OVID, PubMed, and Google Scholar as primary electronic search engines. Results: A number of published works were identifi ed, describing aspects of the relationship between workplace-related noise exposure and subsequent development of employee hearing impairment, which demonstrate an overwhelming gender imbalance, with up to 97 % of affected individuals being male. Industry-specifi c associations (e.g., mining, manufacturing and heavy construction) were well documented, as were links to toxin-specifi c exposures, in the recognized development of hearing loss. However, evidence of integration of appraisal of the topically-current area of genetic susceptibility was often lacking. Much discordance still exists among international agencies in the prescriptive regulation and enforcement of “safe