2008 Woodie Awards
Farmers' hearing loss, injuries linked
Samantha Miller - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 7/23/07 Section: Metro
Farmers are eight times more likely to be killed on the job than other workers in the United States - a statistic that can be attributed to hearing loss, according to a UI study. University officials, however, stress that preventive gear could help muffle loud noises and decrease health risks.
The study, released in February, examines the correlation between hearing loss and occupational injuries for farmers, using self-assessments as a basis to analyze the link.
"Farmers have a lot of hearing loss and a lot of injuries, so we wanted to see what correlation, if any, was there," said Nancy Sprince, the study's head and a UI occupational- and environmental-health professor.
Researchers gathered the study's data by drawing 7,000 subjects randomly from a larger pool of 89,000 farmers who were participating in the Agricultural Health Study - an investigation of the effects of environmental, occupational, dietary, and genetic factors on the health of the agricultural population.
From those 7,000 farmers, 473 were culled for the control group - those who hadn't been hurt on the job in the previous year - and 431 who had been injured for the case group.
These farmers filled out self-assessments of their hearing, which the study examined to derive any correlation between the factors, Sprince said.
"No matter what the injury, having a hearing impairment is the strongest predictor of an injury," she said.
Barbara Gienapp, a UI Hospitals and Clinics audiologist, said that in her experience, farmers - particularly older ones who have worked with equipment for some time - certainly experience hearing loss. And, she said, she could see how hearing damage could potentially lead to accidents.
"If [the hearing damage] is bad enough, [farmers] may not hear such things as warning sounds, noises that show something may be wrong with the equipment, or someone hollering at them," said Gienapp, who is also the UIHC Audiology Clinic's director.
The study, released in February, examines the correlation between hearing loss and occupational injuries for farmers, using self-assessments as a basis to analyze the link.
"Farmers have a lot of hearing loss and a lot of injuries, so we wanted to see what correlation, if any, was there," said Nancy Sprince, the study's head and a UI occupational- and environmental-health professor.
Researchers gathered the study's data by drawing 7,000 subjects randomly from a larger pool of 89,000 farmers who were participating in the Agricultural Health Study - an investigation of the effects of environmental, occupational, dietary, and genetic factors on the health of the agricultural population.
From those 7,000 farmers, 473 were culled for the control group - those who hadn't been hurt on the job in the previous year - and 431 who had been injured for the case group.
These farmers filled out self-assessments of their hearing, which the study examined to derive any correlation between the factors, Sprince said.
"No matter what the injury, having a hearing impairment is the strongest predictor of an injury," she said.
Barbara Gienapp, a UI Hospitals and Clinics audiologist, said that in her experience, farmers - particularly older ones who have worked with equipment for some time - certainly experience hearing loss. And, she said, she could see how hearing damage could potentially lead to accidents.
"If [the hearing damage] is bad enough, [farmers] may not hear such things as warning sounds, noises that show something may be wrong with the equipment, or someone hollering at them," said Gienapp, who is also the UIHC Audiology Clinic's director.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Jim
posted 7/23/07 @ 9:26 AM EST
If Farmers wore hearing protection wouldn't that cut down on their ability to hear the "warning sounds" that were mentioned in the article and therefore cause the same amount of accidents as those whe had a hearing impairment?
shane
posted 7/23/07 @ 5:06 PM EST
I would agree with Jim above - this article is a series of contradictions. If the farmers wear ear protection prior to hearing loss, they are replicating hearing loss at the time they wear the protection. (Continued…)
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