OCCUPATIONAL HEARING LOSS (OHL) SURVEILLANCE

Wholesale and Retail Trade (WRT) Statistics

Noise Exposure and Hearing Protection

• About 14% of all workers in Wholesale Trade and 10% of all workers in Retail Trade are exposed to hazardous noise.¹
• 47% of noise-exposed Wholesale Trade workers and 52% of noise-exposed Retail Trade workers report not wearing hearing protection.¹

Hearing Loss and Tinnitus

• Approximately 12% of all Wholesale Trade workers and 10% of all Retail Trade workers have hearing difficulty.²
• About 6% of all Wholesale Trade workers and 7% of all Retail Trade workers have tinnitus.²
• About 20% of noise-exposed tested WRT workers have a material hearing impairment. Hearing impairment is hearing loss that impacts day-to-day activities.³
• 13% of noise-exposed tested WRT workers have hearing impairment in both ears.⁴

Trends Among Noise-Exposed Tested WRT Workers (1980-2010)³

• The prevalence for WRT decreased less than 1% over 30 years (1981-2010) as compared with a less than 1% reduction for all industries.
• The incidence for WRT decreased 3% over 25 years (1986-2010) as compared with a 2% reduction for all industries.
• The adjusted risk for WRT decreased 55% over 25 years (1986-2010) as compared with a 46% reduction for all industries.

Prevalence of Hearing Loss by Time Period and Industry Sector, 1981 – 2010, for 1,816,812 Workers


Adapted from Figure 1, Masterson et al. 2015

Incidence of Hearing Loss by Time Period and Industry Sector, 1986 – 2010, for 560,320 Workers


Adapted from Figure 2, Masterson et al. 2015

Risk of Incident Hearing Loss Compared to the 1986-1990 Time Period, by Industry Sector, for 560,320 Workers

Adapted from Figure 3, Masterson et al. 2015

Sources:

1. Tak S, Davis RR, Calvert GM. (2009). Exposure to hazardous workplace noise and use of hearing protection devices among US workers — NHANES, 1999-2004. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 52(5):358-371.
2. Masterson EA, Themann CL, Luckhaupt SE, Li J. & Calvert GM. (2016). Hearing difficulty and tinnitus among U.S. workers and non-workers in 2007. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 59, 290-300.
3. Masterson EA, Deddens JA, Themann CL, Bertke S. & Calvert GM. (2015). Trends in worker hearing loss by industry sector, 1981-2010. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 58, 392-401.
4. Masterson EA, Bushnell PT, Themann CL, & Morata TC. (2016). Hearing impairment among noise-exposed workers — United States, 2003–2012. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 65(15), 389-394.