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The purpose of this fit-testing study in the field was to systematically compare three Hearing Protection Device (HPD) fit-training methods and determine whether they differ in the acquisition of HPD fitting skill and resulting amount of earplug attenuation. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive HPD fit-training using one of three training methods: current, experiential HPD (eHPD), and integrated. Personal Attenuation Ratings (PARs) were acquired via HPD fit-testing and used to verify attenuations pre- and post-training. US Marine training recruits (n = 341) identified via HPD fit-testing for remedial HPD fit-training and assigned to three cohorts. The post-training HPD fit-test passing rate differed by training method, with pass rates ranging from 50% (current) to nearly 92% (eHPD). The difference between group delta PAR values were significantly higher (>9 dB) in both the eHPD and integrated methods compared to the current method. The HPD fit-training methods that teach "what right feels like" (eHPD and integrated) provided a greater number of trainees with the skill to achieve noise attenuation values required for impulse noise exposures encountered during basic training. The attenuation achieved by those methods was significantly greater than the current training method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ergonomic risk factors, such as excessive physical effort, awkward postures or repetitive movements, were the leading causes of injuries amongst EMS workers in the United States, of which 90% were attributed to lifting, carrying, or transferring a patient and/or equipment. Although the essential tasks of patient handling, transport, and care cannot be eliminated, the design of ambulances and associated equipment is modifiable. Our aims were to identify the extent of Human Factors and Ergonomic (HFE) considerations in existing ambulance design standards/regulations, and describe how HFE and the standards/regulations were applied in the EMS system. Through an extensive environmental scan of jurisdictionally relevant standards/regulations and key informant interviews, our findings demonstrated that existing standards/regulations had limited considerations for HFE. As a result, HFE principles continue to be considered reactively through retrofit rather than proactively in upstream design. We recommend that performance-based HFE requirements be integrated directly into ambulance design standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

National and international regulatory and consensus standards setting bodies have previously proposed derating hearing protector ratings to provide a better match between ratings determined in a laboratory and the real-world measurements of attenuation for workers. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has proposed a derating scheme that depends upon the type of protector. This paper examines four real-world studies where personal attenuation ratings (PARs) were measured at least twice, before and after an intervention in earplug fitting techniques. Results from these studies indicate that individualized earplug fitting training dramatically improves a worker's achieved PAR value. Additionally, derating schemes fail to accurately predict the majority of achieved PARs. Because hearing protector fit testing systems are now readily available for use in the workplace, personal attenuation ratings provide a better estimate of worker noise exposures and are able to identify those persons who need additional instruction in fitting hearing protection devices.

Objectives: To investigate the change in hearing and perceived comfort over 1 year related to using an active hearing protection device (HPD) among United States Marine Corps (USMC) personnel routinely exposed to hazardous noise., Methods: USMC Weapons Instructors (n = 127) were issued an active earmuff that met military standards and was compatible with other protective equipment. These participants completed pre- and post-hearing tests and comfort surveys. A control cohort (n = 94) was also included to compare individual changes in high-frequency pure tone average (HF-PTA) over 1 year., Results: The control group's HF-PTA was 3 dB worse than the intervention group after only 1 year. Survey responses revealed perceived improvements in the ability to hear and understand, situational awareness, and safety., Conclusions: Active HPDs can reduce hearing loss and improve hearing-related occupational tasks., (Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The British Occupational Hygiene Society 2021.)