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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Reduce new cases of work-related hearing loss — OSH‑06 Data Methodology and Measurement

On this page:  About the National Data  |  Methodology  |  History

About the National Data

Data

Data Sources:  Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), DOL/BLS; Current Population Survey (CPS), Census and DOL/BLS

Baseline: 1.7 new cases of occupational hearing loss per 10,000 full-time workers occurred in 2016

Target: 1.4 per 10,000

Numerator
Number of reported work-related non-fatal illnesses due to occupational hearing loss.
Denominator
Number of hours worked by workers.
Target-setting method
Projection
Target-setting method details
Projection using decaying double exponential model
Target-setting method justification
Trend data were evaluated for this objective. Using historical data points, a trend line was fitted using a decaying double exponential model, and the trend was projected into the next decade. This method was used because the historical data did not fit a linear trend, and a linear trend would predict negative cases of occupational hearing loss. Instead, a decaying double exponential model was applied to fit the historical data and projected the trend into future years to set a target.

Methodology

Questions used to obtain the national baseline data

(For additional information, please visit the data source pages linked above.)

From the 2017 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses:

Numerator:
Tell us about the Case Go to your completed OSHA Form 300. Copy the case information from that form into the spaces below. Employee's name________ Job title ________ Date of injury or onset of illness ___/___/___ Number of days away from work_____ Number of days of job transfer or restriction_____ Tell us about the Employee

Check the category which best describes the employee's regular type of job or work: (optional)

  1. Office, professional, business, or management staff
  2. Sales
  3. Product assembly, product manufacture
  4. Repair, installation or service of machines, equipment
  5. Construction
  6. Other (specify)
  7. Healthcare
  8. Delivery or driving
  9. Food service
  10. Cleaning, maintenance of building, grounds
  11. Material handling (e.g. stocking, loading/unloading, moving, etc.)
  12. Farming
Employee's race or ethnic background: [optional-check one or more]
  1. American Indian or Alaska Native
  2. Asian
  3. Black or African American
  4. Hispanic or Latino
  5. Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
  6. White
  7. Not available

[NOTE: You may either answer questions (3) to (13) or attach a copy of a supplementary document that answers them.]

Employee's age: ___ OR date of birth: Month___Day___Year___
Employee's date hired: Month___Day___Year___

OR check length of service at establishment when incident occurred:

  1. Less than 3 months
  2. From 3 to 11 months
  3. From 1 to 5 years
  4. More than 5 years

Employee's gender:

  1. Male
  2. Female

Tell us about the incident

[Answer the questions below or attach a copy of a supplementary document that answers them.]

Was employee treated in an emergency room?

  1. yes
  2. no

Was employee hospitalized overnight as an in-patient?

  1. yes
  2. no

Time employee began work_____

  1. am
  2. pm

Time of event_____

  1. am
  2. pm OR
  3. Check if time cannot be determined

Event occurred: (optional)

  1. before work shift
  2. during work shift
  3. after work shift

What was the employee doing just before the incident occurred? Describe the activity as well as the tools, equipment, or material the employee was using. Be specific.

Examples: "climbing a ladder while carrying roofing materials"; "spraying chlorine from hand sprayer"; "daily computer key-entry."

What happened? Tell us how the injury or illness occurred.

Examples: "When ladder slipped on wet floor, worker fell 20 feet"; "Worker was sprayed with chlorine when gasket broke during replacement"; "Worker developed soreness in wrist over time."

What was the injury or illness? Tell us the part of the body that was affected and how it was affected; be more specific than "hurt," "pain," or "sore."

Examples: "strained back"; "chemical burn, hand"; "carpal tunnel syndrome."

What object or substance directly harmed the employee?

Examples: "concrete floor"; "chlorine"; "radial arm saw." If this question does not apply to the incident, leave it blank.

Denominator:

From the 2008 Current Population Survey - Labor Force Questionnaire:

WORK

(THE WEEK BEFORE LAST/LAST WEEK), did (name/you) do ANY work for (pay/either pay or profit)?

  1. Yes
  2. No
  3. Retired
  4. Disabled
  5. Unable to work

BUS1

(THE WEEK BEFORE LAST/LAST WEEK), did (name/you) do any unpaid work in the family business or farm?

  1. Yes
  2. No

HRUSL1

(How many hours per week (do/does) (name/you) USUALLY work at (your/his/her) (job?/ main job?)

  1. Enter number of hours (00-99) Hours each week
  2. (V) Hours vary each week

HRUSL2

How many hours per week (do/does) (you/he/she) USUALLY work at (your/his/her) other (job/ jobs)?

  1. Enter number of hours (00-99) Hours each week
  2. (V) Hours vary each week

HROT1

(THE WEEK BEFORE LAST/LAST WEEK), did (name/you) work any overtime or extra hours (at(his/her) MAIN job that / that)(you/he/she) (do/does) not usually work?

  1. Yes
  2. No

HROT2

How many ADDITIONAL hours did (you/he/she) work?

Enter number of hours
(00 - 99)

HRACT1

(LAST WEEK/THE WEEK BEFORE LAST), how many hours did ( you/he/she) ACTUALLY work at (your/his/her) (job?/MAIN job?)?

Enter number of hours
(00 - 99)

HRACT2

(THE WEEK BEFORE LAST/LAST WEEK), how many hours did ( you/he/she) ACTUALLY work at (your/his/her) other (job/ jobs?)?

Enter number of hours
(00 - 99)

Methodology notes

The SOII is a cooperative Federal - State program in which employer reports are collected annually from a nationally representative sample of private industry establishments. The survey measures nonfatal injuries and illnesses only and excludes the self-employed, farms with fewer than 11 employees, private household workers, and employees in Federal government agencies. For the first time in 2008, the SOII provided national public sector estimates covering nearly 19 million state and local government workers. Noise-induced hearing loss for recordkeeping purposes is a change in hearing threshold relative to the baseline audiogram of an average of 10 dB or more in either ear at 2000, 3000, and 4000 hertz and the employee's total hearing level is 25 decibels (dB) or more above the audiometric zero (also averaged at 2000, 3000, and 4000 hertz) in the same ear(s). The incidence rates represent the number of illnesses per 10,000 full-time workers and were calculated as: (N/EH) x 20,000,000, where N=number of illnesses, EH=total hours worked by all employees during the calendar year, and 20,000,000=base for 10,000 equivalent full-time workers (working 40 hours per week, 50 weeks per year. Information on the type of industry for the numerator is based on employer responses and converted to North American Industry Classification system (NAICS) codes. Work-related noise-induced hearing loss continues to be a significant public health problem, accounting for nearly 10% of all recordable illnesses annually.

History

Comparable HP2020 objective
Retained, which includes core objectives that are continuing from Healthy People 2020 with no change in measurement.