Study Purpose & Brief Description
Study Objectives
Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is among the most common occupational diseases in construction, interfering with communication, decreasing quality of life, and posing a serious safety hazard. In order to better understand this hearing loss and how it may be prevented, the UW Department of Environmental Health is studying noise exposures and NIHL in construction apprentices. This is the first study ever to collect such a large and detailed dataset on noise exposure in construction workers. Our goals for this study are to:

track hearing changes over 4 years in over 400 construction apprentices from 12 Western Washington apprenticeship programs and over 60 UW students with more limited noise exposures.
determine how noise affects hearing and what factors affect how fast people lose hearing in relation to noise exposure.
identify ways to help detect and help prevent NIHL among construction workers.
Subject Participation
Study subjects will learn about their noise exposures at work and at home, and how noise affects their hearing. Once a year, participants will:
take 2 types of hearing tests (a standard audiometric test and a distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) test, which measures sounds generated by the inner ear).
have their noise exposures measured, and report their daily activities and tools several times a year (you may view a sample self-report activity card).
answer questions about hearing, recreational noise, work characteristics, and use of hearing protectors.

More Information
Check out the following links for:

A more detailed description of the study background.

A UW fact sheet on construction noise and hearing loss.

Subject Comments
"[Being a part of t]his study has already made me more aware of noise hazards... I find myself wearing hearing protection more often."
"Makes me more aware of how important ear protection is."