Noise exposures of sugar cane mill workers in Guatemala

Objective: To describe personal noise exposure measurements obtained on Guatemala sugar cane mill workers as a function of job category. Design: This is a descriptive evaluation of existing data. Sample: The data set included 51 representative noise dosimetry surveys utilising NIOSH sampling protocol, completed on workers performing 21 jobs in a Guatemalan sugar cane mill. Results: Noise doses ranged from a low of 50.9% to an extreme of 25174%. The highest observed mean noise doses were for evaporator cleaners (15761%) and juice extractors (2047%). Ninety percent of noise dosimetry samples were between 50% to 1200% dose. Annual noise exposures are also reported after considering the 7-month seasonal work schedule. Conclusions: The majority of sugar cane mill workers were exposed to hazardous occupational noise exceeding the Guatemalan permissible exposure limit (GMLSW), which is consistent with U.S. NIOSH recommended exposure limit of 100% noise dose (85 dBA time-weighted average). Consequently, the majority of workers should be enrolled in a hearing conservation programme including engineering noise control in order to prevent long-term adverse effects on workers' hearing.