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This article not only offers a chronological overview of the development of occupational medicine, but also offers a summary of occupational diseases recommended by the ILO and legislative decisions that have influenced how we approach assessment today. We consider that these areas form a whole in which they cannot function without each other and they would lose their relevance if the system was collapsed. By excluding even one part of it, we would find ourselves at the beginning of the era of occupational medicine, and a large number of employees would once again be exposed to conditions that previously led to considerable illness and mortality of employees. The article also examines legislation and the development of occupational diseases in Slovakia in the period 1997–2019. Using basic statistical methods and time series, a trend model for the time series of the development of the number of occupational diseases over the last 20 years is created. The modeling also includes a forecast for the development of the number of occupational diseases for the next 5 years. The model created shows a favorable, decreasing trend in the number of occupational diseases in Slovakia.

The paper describes a specific design of the sound insulating enclosure of a vibrating sorter. Recycling aspects have been taken into account when designing the enclosure, because recycled foam has been applied as a sound-absorbing material. An acoustic camera was used to measure, analyze, evaluate and to localise and identify sound sources. The visualization method was used to locate the critical locations of the device and then quantify them. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed enclosure, the measurements of the sound parameters were performed before and after the realization soundproofing measure. The measured results show the requested efficiency of the sound insulating enclosure in terms of noise reduction as well as dust near the sorter.

Industry and industrial complexes are often located in the proximity of people’s homes. One of the negative effects of industry is noise emissions into the surrounding environment. With the increasing concentration of the human population and the increase in industrial production, more and more people are exposed to the negative effects of noise. This article discusses a comprehensive approach to reducing noise emissions from industrial operations, and the subsequent impacts on surrounding villages and human health. The first step of the whole process is to understand the current state of the acoustic situation in industrial operation and in the nearby villages, an important part of which is the identification and localization of dominant noise sources. For this purpose, a unique noise visualization tool was used, namely, an acoustic camera. The next important step is to propose a technical solution and measures to reduce the noise of the individual source. Consequently, it is necessary to create a mathematical model, i.e., noise maps, in order to verify whether the proposed measures will be sufficient. Once the proposed measures have been implemented, verification of the effectiveness of these measures needs to be carried out through repeated noise measurements in nearby villages and also on the site of the industrial installation. The above procedure was applied to the operation of a wastewater treatment plant that was causing noise exceeding the permissible levels in the surrounding villages. The application of this approach, the implementation of the proposed measures, and the subsequent verification confirmed a significant reduction in the noise levels in the affected villages, and the measures implemented were assessed as highly effective.

This paper deals with a proposal of assessment of hearing impairment risk from the point of view of long-term exposure to noise in a selected plant in the Slovak Republic. Measurement and monitoring noise was carried out at two workshops of a mechanical engineering plant: in a "Cutting Center" and in a "Welding Center". A Norsonic sound analyser was used to measure noise exposure. Evaluation of the noise measurement results consisted of the comparison of the measured values with the required values, which are specified, in the relevant legislative regulation (Government Regulation No. 115/2006 Coll., technical standard (STN EN ISO 9612:2010) and Directive (Council Directive 2003/10/EC). The measured results show that the normalized levels of noise exposure, extended by the uncertainty of measurement (U = ± 2,1 dB) at the all workplaces, exceed the limits stipulated by the Slovak Government, all measured professions fall within the fourth category of work activities categorized according to the noise factor. Long-term exposure of the human organism to noise pollution can cause, in addition to hearing impairment, a wide range of other diseases. Very high levels of noise cause hearing impairment, lower levels affect the control system in our body. This paper presents the results of a study aimed at assessing the risks associated with acoustic noise in connection with exposure to noise at the workplace and with its possible negative effects (a risk event) to health and hearing of workers in the engineering industry.

Sound visualization tools are now widely used in industry. As a tool, acoustic cameras are also well-suited for faster identification of errors as well as individual states while operating devices. The aim of this paper was to locate and quantify noise sources on a packet sorting line using an acoustic camera and then to propose noise reduction measures. Localization of noise sources was performed by means of an acoustic camera with a microphone ring array. The result of these measurements and analyses was to sort the individual noise sources from less noisy to the noisiest, which gives a good assumption for better planning of spending on the implementation of noise reduction measures. The outputs of these measurements also give information on the character and frequency composition of the sound of individual sources, which will help out in the design of specific noise measures.

This paper describes possibilities in the use of recycled rubber granules and textile materials combined with vermiculite panel. The aim of the research is the application of materials that will be absorbing or reflecting sound energy. This objective is based on fundamental physical principles of materials research and acoustics. Method of measurement of sound absorption coefficient is based on the principle of standing wave in the impedance tube. With a sound level meter is measured maximum and minimum sound pressure level of standing wave. From the maximum and minimum sound pressure level of standing wave is calculated sound absorption coefficient αn, which can take values from 0 to 1. Determination of the sound absorption coefficient has been set in 1/3 octave band and in the frequency range from 50 Hz to 2000 Hz. In conclusion are proposed possibilities of application of these materials in terms of their mechanical and physical parameters.