Hearing complaints of workers in a pottery industry of the city of João Pessoa/PB

ABSTRACT:

Purpose:

to investigate the auditory complaints of workers exposed to occupational noise in a pottery industry, in the city of João Pessoa/PB.

Methods:

this is a descriptive, observational and cross-sectional study with 83 workers from this industry, with conducting interview about hearing complaints.

Results:

among workers, 14.7% reported some general health complaints and 56% claimed to have any auditory complaint related to noise exposure in their work. The main auditory complaints were discomfort to intense sounds (30.1%) and tinnitus (24%). There was a significant correlation (p < .05) between the time of working of the employees in their jobs and discomfort to intense sounds, tinnitus, hearing loss and ear fullness.

Conclusion:

the results of this study show a direct association between time of exposure to noise and auditory symptoms, which suggests that better hearing health education politics may be necessary. In addition, it was found that workers knew the risks of noise on health, but did not comprehend that the auditory symptoms they have may be associated with this important physical risk, which can hinder actions to prevent noise hazards.

KEYWORDS:
Noise Effects; Occupational Noise; Hearing