Avaliação do ruído e de protetores auditivos em operários da construção civil do campus Saúde UFMG

Abstract

Introduction: Noise induced hearing loss is related to a gradual decrease in hearing, and is characterized as a bilateral, irreversible and sensorineural, standing out as one of the health problems more prevalent in Brazilian industry workers. In construction, the use of powerful machines have become the work environment noisier. Literature reveals a lack of data related to construction workers. Objective: To evaluate the noise level in the environment during the use of construction workers machines and the attenuation provided by hearing protectors used by these workers. Methods: A cross sectional descriptive study with a convenience sample approved by the ethics committee of the institution. The environmental noise was measured with the decibel meter when using mixers, circular saw, marble saw, hammer, sander and grinder. The evaluation of hearing protectors was conducted with ten participants, and hearing thresholds were obtained using earplugs, earmuffs, and earplugs plus earmuffs in order to determine the attenuation at each frequency. Results: The marble saw showed higher noise, followed by grinding and hammer. The evaluation of the attenuation provided by hearing protectors revealed that greater protection is offered by the concomitant use of earplugs and earmuffs. Conclusion: Construction workers are exposed to excessive occupational noise and therefore require proper hearing protection for the handling of the machines used in construction.