ABSTRACT
The din of noise emanating from industrial processes pervades many occupational settings, and its effects on workers range from minor annoyance to major risk of hearing damage. Unfortunately, at least within the current limits of technology, noise is a by-product of many industries, such as manufacturing, especially those which use high-energy or impact processes such as metal cutting and mineral refinement, and service-related industries, such as air transport, construction, and farming. Workers complain about the negative effects of noise on their abilities to communicate, hear warning and other signals, and concentrate on tasks at hand. However, the effect which has been of most concern to industry has been permanent noise-induced hearing loss, or NIHL.
