Use of moulded hearing protectors by child care workers - an interventional pilot study

Abstract

BackgroundEmployees of a multi-site institution for children and adolescents started to wear moulded hearing protectors (MHPs) during working hours, as they were suffering from a high level of noise exposure. It was agreed with the institutional physician and the German Institution for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention in the Health and Welfare Services (BGW) that this presented an opportunity to perform a scientific study to investigate potential beneficial effects on risk of burnout and subjective noise exposure at work when child care workers wear MHPs.MethodsThis was an intervention study which compared the initial values with those after a follow-up of 12 months. All teaching child care workers employed by the multi-site institution were offered the opportunity to take part. Forty-five (45) employees in 16 institutions participated. The subjects were provided with personally adapted MHPs and documented the periods of wear in a diary. At the start and end of the intervention, the subjects had to answer a questionnaire related to subjective noise exposure and burnout risk. In parallel, employees were surveyed who had not taken part in the intervention.ResultsThirty-three (33) subjects took part in the follow-up after 12 months (follow-up rate 73 %). The median period of wear of MHPs was 34.6 h. During the period of observation, the mean subjective noise exposure increased by 2.7 %, and mean burnout risk by 2.5 scale points (baseline: 55.2, follow-up 57.7). Neither difference was statistically significant. 67 % of the participants reported that they were still capable of fulfilling their teaching duties when wearing the MHPs. In the reference group without the intervention, the increase in burnout risk was 3.9 points, which was even less favourable (baseline: 50.6, follow-up: 54.5).ConclusionsWithin the working environment of the child care workers, wearing MHPs did not reduce subjective noise exposure or burnout risk; the satisfaction of the study subjects with wearing MHPs decreased over time. There were however signs that the level of stress increased over time and that this might have been alleviated in the intervention group by wearing MHPs.

The Impact of Occupational Noise Exposure on Hyperacusis: a Longitudinal Population Study of Female Workers in Sweden

“…This is likely partly explained by perceived detrimental effects of hearing protection devices use on speech perception. Preschool personnel may also find it inappropriate to wear HPDs in the presence of parents and may consider that wearing HPDs reduces their ability to fulfill their teaching duties ( Koch et al 2016 ). According to the Swedish Work Environment Authorities regulation on noise at work, the use of HPDs is a hearing prevention measure taken when other noise abatement measures have failed, such as replacing or isolating noisy machines.…”

The effect of effort-reward imbalance on the health of childcare workers in Hamburg: a longitudinal study

“…Effects of a spill-over of psychosocial factors, but also biomechanical stress from employees’ private lives, also could not be excluded since these factors were not recorded as part of the study. Furthermore, part of the sample population (31%) took part in a parallel occupational preventive programme for the reduction of subjective noise exposure [ 28 ]. Although the study did not appear to have a statistically significant intervention effect, there were indications that the intervention group showed some benefits in terms of burnout as compared with the reference group.…”

“…After twelve months (follow up), all study participants once again received a copy of the same pseudonymised questionnaire they had completed a year before. A subgroup of participants ( n = 33) took part in a parallel intervention programme looking at the effects of noise in the workplace [ 28 ]. In that study, the focus was on the question of whether the use of personal hearing protection over the observational period of one year could reduce the subjective noise exposure and the risk of burnout among childcare workers.…”

Nurses’ and preschool teachers’ experiences of taking part in a participatory intervention project in communication-intense working environments

“…Noise is a common workplace problem that can negatively affect health, well-being and performance hearing protection devices (HPDs) in childcare work-88 ers in an institution for children and adolescents [15].…”

“…The authors concluded that the noise-reduction strategies resulted in a more quiet work environment, benefiting both staff and patients. Yet another intervention study investigated the use of hearing protection devices (HPDs) in childcare workers in an institution for children and adolescents [ 15 ]. A little more than half of the participants reported that they were still capable of fulfilling their teaching duties while wearing the HPDs.…”