Occupational Noise Exposure and Hearing Impairment among Employees of Nightclubs in Port Harcourt Metropolis

Background: Hearing loss due to noise exposure in occupational settings is a significant health problem with economic consequences. Studies have implicated entertainment noise in contributing to the burden of hearing loss. This study was undertaken to determine the level of occupational noise exposure and hearing impairment among employees of night clubs in Port Harcourt metropolis.

Methodology: The study was carried out in Port Harcourt metropolis and employed a descriptive cross sectional design. A multi-stage sampling method was used to select 260 employees whose data were captured using a semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire. An android based hearing test and sound pressure level meter were also used to collect data on hearing loss and to record sound pressure level of the night clubs during normal activities. Data collected was analyzed using SPSS version 20.

Results: The study found that average sound level of night clubs in Port Harcourt metropolis was 100.9dBA. Additionally, majority (93.7%) of employees work more than 8 hours daily and most (98.8%) of these employees do not use hearing protection devices. The commonest (69.9%)reason for not using was management’s failure to provide. The study also revealed that 71.1% of the respondents had mild hearing loss.

Furthermore, the results showed that hearing loss was associated with age (P = .003), sex (P = .01), educational status (P = .000) and previous exposure to occupational noise (P = .000). Similarly, there was a relationship between duration of employment (P = .04), job description (P = .01) and hearing loss.

Conclusion: Based on this study finding, workers are exposed to sound levels above the maximum permissible limit of 85 dB for more than 8 hours daily and majority of these workers do not wear hearing protection devices. This could possibly be the reason for the high prevalence of hearing loss among employees of night clubs in Port Harcourt. Also, hearing loss was associated with age, sex, level of education, previous exposure to occupational noise, duration of employment and job description. It is therefore imperative for nightclub owners to be aware of the dangers of excessive noise and subsequently provide hearing protection devices for employees of these night clubs especially the disk jockeys, bouncers, bartenders and also wait-staff perhaps if noise reduction is not feasible.