Objective To investigate the status of hearing loss of train drivers and analyze related influencing factors.
Methods A total of 2 045 train drivers from a locomotive depot of a railway bureau (covering Kaiyuan, Kunming, and Guangtong areas) were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire, otology routine examination, and pure tone audiometry. Sound pressure level in the workplace was measured to calculate the 40 h equivalent sound level (Leq40) based on actual working time every week. Chi-square test was used to analyze differences in hearing loss. Multivariate binary non-conditional logistic regression models were used to analyze related factors influencing hearing loss.
Results All the study subjects were male (n=2 045), with an average age of (39.85±6.79) years and an average working age of (18.00±11.00) years (M±QI). The count of subjects with binaural high-frequency hearing threshold≥40 dB was 267, accounting for 13.1% of the total. The positive rate of occupational noise-induced deafness was 5.9% (121 cases); most of the hearing injuries were minor (85.1%) or moderate (9.9%) level. The results of multivariate binary non-conditional logistic regression model indicated that working age (OR=1.025, 95% CI: 1.000-1.050) was a risk factor for noise-induced deafness; the risk for train drivers being noise-induced deafness in Kaiyuan was higher than that for drivers in Kunming (OR=2.016, 95% CI: 1.194-3.406) and Guangtong (OR=2.858, 95% CI: 1.476-5.533).
Conclusion Serious hearing loss conditions of train drivers are identified in the study, which are influenced by working area and working age.
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