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Preventing Hearing Loss in Construction in the U.S.A.: Challenges and Opportunities

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Abstract

Construction workers in the U.S.A. suffer from significant hearing loss due to noise exposures on the job. Few employers institute noise controls and hearing protector use is low. Much of this stems from the lack of regulatory requirements. Construction work was excluded from the OSHA Hearing Conservation Amendment in 1983. The chronic nature of hearing loss and the transient nature of construction work also play an important role. Yet there are incentives that exist or could be created to encourage better hearing loss prevention in construction. Several such incentives will be discussed.

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Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Alyssa Testo for her editorial support during the preparation of this manuscript.

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Correspondence to Scott Schneider.

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Schneider, S. Preventing Hearing Loss in Construction in the U.S.A.: Challenges and Opportunities. Acoust Aust 44, 83–85 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40857-015-0034-3

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