Abstract
Noise-induced hearing loss due to long-term work in extremely noisy places cannot currently be treated effectively, making it especially important to prevent such loss through occupational health management. We studied problems identified in a survey on occupational health management implementation given in Guidelines for Preventing Noise-Induced Disorders, together with possible corrective measures. Questionnaires mailed in 2005 to 1,000 Saitama Prefecture business sites were returned by 346 (response: 34.6%). We analyzed 140 noise-producing business operations. We found that (1) among sites having operating hazards, noise-inducing operations occurred most often in the manufacturing industry; (2) the companies analyzed lagged furthest behind in managing auditory occupational health; and (3) the smaller the site, the less occupational health management was implemented. Organizations such as occupational health centers and labor bureaus must work togather to implement auditory management at medium and small sites. It is also important to support auditory management through the aid of specialists in noise-induced hearing loss authorized by the Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Society of Japan.
