Principal Investigators: Peter Rabinowitz (Yale University) and Rick Neitzel
Source of funding: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
Description: A growing number of studies suggest that exposure to noise may increase a worker’s risk of occupational injury. However, many of these studies are limited by crude or insufficient noise exposure estimates, and also have not controlled for hearing status of injured workers. This study builds on a unique relationship between the research team and a major manufacturing company which has collected tens of thousands of noise exposure measurements and detailed data on workers’ hearing ability and injury experience. Using this unique dataset, we are exploring the relationship between noise exposure and injury risk, hearing loss and injury risk, and possible interactions between noise exposure and hearing loss as they relate to risk of injury. The results of this study may highlight additional injury reduction benefits associated with noise control programs in the workplace.
Papers:
- Injury risk factors in a small-scale gold mining community in Ghana’s Upper East Region.
- Does Tinnitus, Hearing Asymmetry or Hearing Loss Predispose to Occupational Injury Risk?
- Association between ambient noise exposure, hearing acuity, and risk of acute occupational injury
- Safety and health hazard observations in Hmong farming operations.
- Assessing Hmong farmers’ safety and health.
- Training for an effective health and safety committee in a small business setting.
- A mixed-methods evaluation of health and safety hazards at a scrap metal recycling facility.
Exposure Research Lab 