SBIR-STTR Award

The objective of this project is to develop an unobtrusive, wearable system that will prevent occupational hearing loss while being compatible with personal 2-way communication systems. The novel and patented dose Busters USA approach to industrial hearing conservation involves monitoring actual, protected personal noise exposure on a daily basis. If this exposure level is maintained below 50% of the permissible exposure level (PEL) on a daily basis, the worker is unlikely to experience noise-induced hearing loss on-the-job. Experience with Beta versions of the personal noise-monitoring system demonstrate that it is possible to reduce virtually all-industrial exposures to an acceptable level with the hearing protection that is compatible with the dose Busters USA system. Factors that lead to unacceptably high exposures are quality of hearing protector fit and duration of hearing protector wearing time. The dose Busters USA system accounts for both of these variables; therefore actual protected exposure is quantified. The worker is empowered with redundant information that allows him to modify his hearing protector wearing habits and therefore reduce his personal exposure. If the protected exposure level remains too high, exposures must be lowered via management intervention. To make the system universally acceptable to industry, it must be cost-effective, it must be compatible with 2-way radio communications and it must be unobtrusive for the user. In this project, these three issues will be addressed. A wireless communication platform will be utilized to enhance personal communication via 2-way radio. In addition, the communication system will enhance worker safety by providing establishing a wireless mechanism for transmitting effective audio warnings. The audio communication / warning system will be designed to take advantage of occluding in-the-ear duplex transceivers, ensuring clarity even in noisy environments.

Thesaurus Terms:
biomedical equipment development, computer program /software, computer system design /evaluation, monitoring device, noise induced deafness, occupational health /safety, safety equipment, user protection communication, cost effectiveness, disease /disorder proneness /risk, hearing, industry, noise pollution, portable biomedical equipment, radio, telecommunication

Noise-induced hearing loss remains one of the most common industrial diseases in U.S. The monetary cost of occupational hearing loss is staggering; for example, the cost to the military for compensation for hearing loss as a primary disability only is currently over $630 million per year. The non-monetary costs, in terms of social and physical disability and general quality of life, cannot be easily quantified. This proposal describes an innovative methodology that has the potential to eradicate noise-induced hearing loss from the workplace. The doseBusters USA approach to hearing loss prevention involves the continuous monitoring of personal protected noise exposure; this metric has previously been unavailable to the hearing conservationist, and it is the only quantity that is directly related to the potential of noise-induced hearing loss. Phase 1 of this project involved integrating communication capabilities into the doseBusters hardware. Phase 2 of the project expands on that concept by integrating a talk-through circuit into the dosimeter, and also strives to enhance user-acceptance with the novel integration of the hardware into a 'smart' safety cap. The safety-cap mounted personal exposure measurement system is an elegant solution to two distinct requirements: protected exposure monitoring and enhanced communication at the workplace. Since each worker downloads his noise exposure data on a daily basis, a large amount of data is generated across a typical industrial facility. Phase 2 will also include the development of a web- based database management system that will allow the system to be seamlessly integrated into the workplace without a burden on management. Finally, a six-month field trial of the new safety cap-mounted communication-capable hardware will be performed at an aluminum smelter. All field study personal exposure data will be managed by the web- based system developed in Phase 2. Despite the best efforts of US industry, workers continue to lose their hearing; the current state-of-the-art in occupational hearing conservation is based on a failed paradigm that includes monitoring and recording data that has no correlation with the potential for noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). The doseBusters USA methodology involves quantifying the risk for NIHL on a daily basis by measuring actual protected noise exposure. The evolution of this technology, including the addition of communication capabilities, the development of an integrated 'smart' safety cap, and the development of an elegant data management system, will enhance user- and management-acceptance.