Prevalence of Hearing Loss Among Noise-Exposed US Workers Within the Utilities Sector, 2010–2019

Abstract

Objective This study’s objective was to estimate hearing loss prevalence for noise-exposed US Utilities workers. Methods In this cross-sectional study of a retrospective cohort, audiograms were examined for 1.3 million workers (13,595 within utilities) from 2010–2019. Hearing loss prevalence and adjusted risk as compared with a reference industry were estimated. Results The hearing loss prevalence for noise-exposed Utilities workers (25%) was higher than for noise-exposed workers in all industries combined (20%). Some subsectors surpassed the prevalence for all industries combined and/or had adjusted risks significantly higher than the reference industry. The highest prevalence subsectors were Hydroelectric Power Generation (37%) and steam and Air-Conditioning Supply (29%). Conclusions While often overlooked, noise-exposed workers in this sector have among the highest prevalences of hearing loss and significantly higher risks. Increased attention and better hearing conservation strategies are needed.