In the World Report on Hearing, 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that up to 401 million people in Southeast Asia have some hearing loss level and further estimated the number to grow to more than 666 million by 2050(1). In the same report, WHO reported that occupational exposure to hazardous noise levels remains a problem worldwide and estimated more than 30 million workers in the United States are exposed to noise hazards. In Europe, the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work estimates that 25–33% of the workforce in Europe is exposed to high-level noise.
In Singapore, while the number of Noise-Induced Deafness (NID) has reduced significantly over the years, the disease remains the country’s second-highest reported workplace health problem, with 110 cases reported in 2020.
Frequent noise monitoring is an important exercise to ensure accurate measurement of the noise level and to verify the effectiveness of noise control measures. Personnel tasked with monitoring need to be competent to conduct proper field sampling/measuring. The instrument used by them is also vital to ensure the accuracy of the measurement.
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