Going wireless and booth-less for hearing testing in industry

Abstract

Objective: To assess the test–retest variability of hearing thresholds obtained with an innovative, mobile wireless automated hearing-test system (WAHTS) with enhanced sound attenuation to test industrial workers at a worksite as compared to standardised automated hearing thresholds obtained in a mobile trailer sound booth. Design: A within-subject repeated-measures design was used to compare air-conducted threshold tests (500–8000 Hz) measured with the WAHTS in six workplace locations, and a third test using computer-controlled audiometry obtained in a mobile trailer sound booth. Ambient noise levels were measured in all test environments. Study sample: Twenty workers served as listeners and 20 workers served as operators. Results: On average, the WAHTS resulted in equivalent thresholds as the mobile trailer audiometry at 1000, 2000, 3000 and 8000 Hz and thresholds were within ±5 dB at 500, 4000 and 6000 Hz. Conclusions: Comparable performance may be obtained with the WAHTS in occupational audiometry and valid thresholds may be obtained in diverse test locations without the use of sound-attenuating enclosures.

Key Words:

• Wireless audiometer
• hearing threshold
• audiometry
• automated audiometry
• test–retest variability
• occupational health

Acknowledgements

Appreciation is extended to the workers for their support and participation in this research. It is also a pleasure to acknowledge the helpful skills of Dania Fiorito, graduate research assistant at the University of Northern Colorado, who assisted with data collection.

Declaration of interest

The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R44DC012861. The research grant funding provided financial support to the institution employing each author for their respective work on this research.