NHCA 2021 Virtual Conference

Co-Presenters/Co-Authors:
Jason Booms, The Hannon Group, LLC
Bryan Beamer, NIOSH

Each year about 22 million U.S. workers are exposed to hazardous noise and about 12% of the U.S. working population has difficulty hearing. While many simple intervention strategies are well known by researchers, it can be difficult to implement them in the workplace. Researchers from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) are conducting a four-year project to help prevent occupational hearing loss. Along with the help of The Hannon Group LLC, a public relations and market research firm, we have examined current attitudes on hazardous noise and hearing loss in the workplace and the beginnings of what an effective intervention campaign would look like. The Hannon Group designed, fielded, and analyzed in-person focus groups as well as telephone In-Depth Interviews (IDIs) with construction industry members to gather data on both workers and leadership in the construction industry. The research revealed that, after a need for awareness and awareness goals are reached, cultivating a strong multilingual social media presence will be an optimal method to reach intended target populations and motivate construction industry employees to take action by wearing appropriate PPE and/or taking other measures, such as engineering out elevated noise levels or purchasing quieter tools and equipment.

Learning Objectives:
As a result of this Continuing Education Activity, readers will be able to:
1) Identify Recommended Distribution Channels for Hearing Loss Information among Industrial workers.
2) Identify barriers of implementing hearing loss prevention techniques in industrial workers.
3) Learn what specific goals are needed for a common intervention plan in industrial workers.