Abstract No:
1474
Abstract Type:
Professional Poster
Authors:
J King1
Institutions:
1Arkansas State University, State University, AR
Presenter:
Dr Julie King, CSP
Arkansas State University
Description:
Dog housing animal shelters are consistently noisy workplaces, with occasional peaks above 100 dBA. OSHA regulations set a strict action level of 85 dBA for an 8 hour time weighted average (TWA), at which point employees must be enrolled in a Hearing Conservation Program. Few studies document actual kennel worker noise exposure across a full shift. This study found that two Harris County, TX shelters exceeded OSHA's action level for workers spending a full shift in kennels. Many workers are not enrolled in conservation programs and rarely use hearing protection. No prior research has evaluated low cost noise abatement in shelter environments. The presentation details an intervention using inexpensive sound dampening moving blankets installed along kennel walls, aiming to reduce harmful noise exposure for shelter staff. This study found that simple installation of quarter-inch thick moving blankets dampened the sound levels by 5 dB. Noise levels were also compared between night and day, and weekday and weekend.
Situation / Problem:
Animal shelters are known to be very noisy places, particularly those that house barking dogs. We noticed that there were few studies that demonstrated that animal shelter workers were at risk for noise-induced hearing loss due to excessive noise. We wanted to know the 8-hour exposure to noise of animal shelter workers. In addition, there are not many ways that noise can be mitigated in the shelter environment due to the expensive cost and needs of the shelter to be cleaned regularly. We investigated a low-cost noise abatement method to see whether it would provide a statistically significant difference in the noise levels in a large kennel environment.
Methods:
Noise measurements were conducted at two separate animal shelter facilities. Unique types of kennel environments were documented for comparison purposes. The dosimeters used for this study were the Quest Technologies NoisePro DL Series personal dosimeters fitted with a personal clip microphone. Once programmed, the dosimeters were installed at the shelter facility for the duration of the study. Each dosimeter was suspended from the ceiling and hung down approximately 10 inches. For the investigation into low-cost noise abatement, typical moving blankets were hung via curtain rings from ceiling height in a selected kennel. This kennel was selected because preliminary results showed it to have the highest noise levels and to be the most reliably populated with dogs. The moving blankets measured 80 x 72 inches and were approximately ¼ inches thick. The blankets hung approximately 8 inches down from the ceiling and had a length of 72 inches. This left around 40 inches of exposed cinderblock wall which had to be maintained for cleaning purposes. Data collected from the dosimeters for each study included peak, maximum, and minimum noise levels. Time-weighted averages (TWA) and doses were computed by the dosimeter depending up on the specific dosimeter setting (OSHA-HC or ACGIH).
Limitations of our study would include the fact that workers did not wear the dosimeters and that the time-weighted averages would assume that kennel workers were in the kennel environment for a total of 8-hours which is often not the case.
Results / Conclusions:
Our study showed that the daytime time-weighted averages (TWA) measured over 85 dBA for an 8-hour period, and demonstrated that workers who spend more than 8-hours in the kennel environment should be enrolled in a hearing conservation program (HCP). Statistical analysis of the results also demonstrated that hanging sound-dampening moving blankets in one of the noisier kennels resulted in a lowering of the noise level by 5 dB. While 5 dB might not seem like much, anecdotally, it did make a difference to the kennel workers while they were in the kennels. This proof-of-concept experiment shows that a low-cost abatement method would be possible in an animal shelter environment.
More studies are needed to determine how many and which workers should be enrolled in an HCP. According the hierarchy of controls, engineering controls such as noise abatement materials are preferable to personal protective equipment, and this study demonstrates that a low-cost material could be installed that would allow for periodic cleaning and maintenance of the sanitary needs of the kennel.
Core Competencies:
Noise and Hearing Loss Prevention
Choose at least one (1), and up to five, (5) keywords from the following list. These selections will optimize your presentation's search results for attendees.
Hearing conservation and noise reduction
Based on the selected primary competency area of your proposal, select one group below that would be best suited to serve as a subject matter expert for peer review:
(Select one)
Noise Committee
Based on the information that will be presented during your proposed session, please indicate the targeted audience practice level: (select one)
Practitioner: Practitioner is a job title given to persons in various occupational fields who are trained to assist professionals but are not themselves licensed or certified at a professional level by a certification body recognized by the National Accreditation Recognition (NAR) Committee of IOHA. The IH/OH practitioner performs tasks requiring significant knowledge and skill in the IH/OH field, such as conducting worker exposure monitoring and, in some cases, may even function independently of a professional IH/OH but may not be involved in the breadth of IH/OH practice nor have the level of responsibility of a professional IH/OH certified by examination.
The IH/OH practitioner requires a certain level of education that can be obtained from an accredited university or equivalent. Additional training in specific skill sets that provide additional career paths to the IH/OH practitioner can also be obtained. IH/OH practitioners may also serve as team leaders or project managers.
Was this session organized by an AIHA Technical Committee, Special Interest Group, Working Group, Advisory Group or other AIHA project Team?
No
Are worker exposure data and/or results of worker exposure data analysis presented?
Yes
If yes, i.e., If worker exposure data and/or results of worker exposure data analysis are to be presented please describe the statistical methods and tools (e.g. IHSTAT, Expostats, IHSTAT_Bayes, IHDA-AIHA, or other statistical tool, please specify) used for analysis of the data.
DataTab
How will this help advance the science of IH/OH?
By demonstrating that even a low-cost noise abatement method is possible in an environment where noise mitigation can be difficult for cost and sanitary reasons.
What level would you consider your presentation content geared towards?
Intermediate: Specific topics within a subject. The participant would have two (2) to ten (10) years experience in industrial hygiene or OEHS and a good understanding of the subject area, but not of the specific topic presented. Prerequisites required: another course, skill, or working knowledge of the general subject.
Have you presented this information before?
No
I have read and agree to these guidelines.
Yes