Noise exposures of sugar cane mill workers in Guatemala

Abstract

Objective: To describe personal noise exposure measurements obtained on Guatemala sugar cane mill workers as a function of job category.

Design: This is a descriptive evaluation of existing data.

Sample: The data set included 51 representative noise dosimetry surveys utilising NIOSH sampling protocol, completed on workers performing 21 jobs in a Guatemalan sugar cane mill.

Results: Noise doses ranged from a low of 50.9% to an extreme of 25174%. The highest observed mean noise doses were for evaporator cleaners (15761%) and juice extractors (2047%). Ninety percent of noise dosimetry samples were between 50% to 1200% dose. Annual noise exposures are also reported after considering the 7-month seasonal work schedule.

Conclusions: The majority of sugar cane mill workers were exposed to hazardous occupational noise exceeding the Guatemalan permissible exposure limit (GMLSW), which is consistent with U.S. NIOSH recommended exposure limit of 100% noise dose (85 dBA time-weighted average). Consequently, the majority of workers should be enrolled in a hearing conservation programme including engineering noise control in order to prevent long-term adverse effects on workers’ hearing.

Keywords:

• Noise
• noise dosimetry
• hearing conservation/hearing loss prevention
• occupational hearing loss

Disclosure statement

The University of Colorado, University of Northern Colorado and Pantaleon are separate, independent organisations. University of Colorado employed appropriate research methods in keeping with academic freedom, based conclusions on critical analysis of the evidence and reported findings fully and objectively. The terms of this arrangement have been reviewed and approved by the University of Colorado in accordance with its conflict of interest policies.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported in part by Pantaleon; the Chancellor, CU Anschutz; Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) [U19OH01127], and the Mountain and Plains Education and Research Centre [T42 OH009229]. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC or the Department of Health and Human Services.