Hearing conservation programs in selected metal fabrication industries

Noise is an undesired sound that cannot be ignored. Hearing loss caused by industrial noise has been recognized for many years, and protection of employee hearing has been made mandatory by governmental agencies. This paper presents an investigation of ongoing hearing conservation programs (HCP) in selected metal fabrication industries in the state of Tennessee and the effects of these programs on employees' health and safety. A questionnaire has been used to collect data for this study. The questionnaire was send to 65 metal fabrication industries (MFI) which have populations of over 100 employees. The response rate was 70.77%. The majority of industries surveyed had noise problems in their plants. Hearing conservation programs are a necessity to protect employees' health and safety in metal fabrication industries in Tennessee. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.