title: Noise-induced hearing loss still a problem in shipbuilders: a cross-sectional study in goa, India.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Workplace safety regulations seek to mitigate noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), conventionally associated with the shipbuilding industry. Despite this, are workers still predisposed to NIHL?
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study the prevalence of NIHL among noise-exposed subjects in the shipbuilding industry in Goa and to compare it with that among the non-exposed population working in the same industry in relation to certain relevant factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a cross-sectional study in the shipbuilding industry, Goa This study examined 552 workers: 276 shipbuilders and 276 office staff, of similar age, duration of employment and socio-economic status working at a shipbuilding enterprise. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was followed by audiometry. Values were presented as percentages, Mean (SD) and odds ratio (OR) and its 95% confidence interval (CI) (Woolfe's method). Fisher's exact test and binary logistic regression were used. P value of < 0.05 was taken as significant. SPSS version 16 was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  NIHL was found in 17 (6%) shipbuilders, while no office staff was detected to have this condition (OR = 37.29, 95% CI 22.42-62.18). The shipbuilders with NIHL were 52.5 years of age and had been employed for 30.4 years, on an average. None of the 17 cases of NIHL were found to be using earplugs consistently; 11 reported using them "sometimes" and six "never" used them.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  NIHL continues to affect shipbuilders, owing their non-compliance to workplace regulation. Health education is the need of the hour.
authors: Department of Community Medicine, Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, Ganapathychettikulam, Kalapet, Puducherry, India.
authors: N
authors: N
authors: Bhumika
authors: Gv
authors: G
authors: Prabhu
authors: Am
authors: A
authors: Ferreira
authors: Mk
authors: M
authors: Kulkarni
keywords: Asia; Audiometry; Earplugs; Hearing loss; Noise; Occupational health; Smoking; Welding
references: Noise Health. 2000;2(8):59-70
references: 12689463
references: Occup Med (Lond). 2005 Sep;55(6):487-9
references: 15845553
references: Occup Med (Lond). 2005 Jan;55(1):48-53
references: 15699090
references: Int J Occup Environ Med. 2010 Jul;1(3):116-23
references: 23022797
references: Occup Med (Lond). 1994 May;44(2):99-101
references: 8032041
references: Int J Epidemiol. 2001 Dec;30(6):1371-8
references: 11821349
references: J Occup Environ Med. 1998 Aug;40(8):667-74
references: 9729748
references: East Afr Med J. 2003 Jun;80(6):298-302
references: 12953738
references: Ann Occup Hyg. 1992 Apr;36(2):199-209
references: 1530235
references: Int J Audiol. 2011 Mar;50 Suppl 1:S3-10
references: 21288065
references: Noise Health. 2006 Apr-Jun;8(31):80-7
references: 17687183
references: Ann Occup Hyg. 2001 Jul;45(5):371-80
references: 11418087
references: Occup Environ Med. 2002 Sep;59(9):634-9
references: 12205239
references: Noise Health. 2003 Jul-Sep;5(20):47-53
references: 14558892
references: Noise Health. 2005 Jan-Mar;7(26):3-9
references: 16053600
references: Med J Malaysia. 1993 Sep;48(3):280-5
references: 8183139
references: Ann Occup Hyg. 1994 Oct;38(5):649-62
references: 7978989