The Ho Chi Minh City Center for Disease Control (HCDC) has just warned that deafness accounts for the highest rate among occupational diseases. The rate of deafness out of the total number of people examined for occupational diseases is 41%. The disease is common in men aged 35-45.
Doctor examines patient's ear at Ho Chi Minh City ENT Hospital
Occupational deafness is the most common occupational disease. It is caused by exposure to noise in the work environment at levels above harmful levels. The disease progresses slowly and is irreversible.
Currently, the rate of workers working in noisy environments such as construction sites, factories, mines, airports, ... or even some music- related occupations, the risk of occupational deafness is very high. WHO estimates that more than 600 million workers worldwide are exposed to harmful levels of noise every day.
According to doctors, occupational deafness is a disease caused by exposure to noise in the working environment, at a level above harmful levels (over 85 dBA). The disease can be prevented, but due to lack of attention, when detected, the disease cannot be cured.
The cause of the disease is due to high-intensity sound, which causes irreversible damage to the sound-receiving cells in the inner ear. Occupational deafness progresses slowly, depending on the noise intensity and exposure time. For example, hearing can be affected if exposed to loud noises (explosions). However, if the exposure is short-term and the volume is not too high, hearing will improve when the sound-receiving cells in the inner ear recover.
Remarkably, most people who are exposed to noise regularly may not notice the damage until one day they suddenly realize that they cannot hear as well as they used to. In particular, long-term exposure to excessive noise can lead to permanent hearing loss.
When a person becomes deaf, they go into an irritation phase several weeks to months after exposure to noise. Workers will experience tinnitus and hearing loss after they leave work. Often, family members will notice that a person has a hearing problem before they do.
Although the disease is not curable, it can be prevented by simple measures. To prevent the disease, noisy working environments and labor environments need to be measured and monitored annually; always ensure that the exposure noise intensity is below 80 dA.
In addition, the workplace needs to have regulations on the time of exposure to noise (if it exceeds the standard), improve noise by technical measures: soundproofing, lubricating with machine oil... When recruiting workers for positions exposed to noise, a health check is required to ensure there are no previous injuries to the hearing organs.
Workers need to be examined and have their hearing loss detected early through regular check-ups and hearing screening. In addition, education is needed so that workers voluntarily wear noise-canceling earplugs…
For workers who have been assessed for occupational deafness, they need to be assigned other jobs that are suitable for their health and use headphones at work or in daily life to help maintain their quality of life...
Source
Comment (0)