P-572 Assessment of Noise Exposure and Its Audiometric Impact Among Workers in a Tunisian Ship Repair Company

Introduction The ship repair industry is one of the most exposed sectors to occupational noise. Objectives: To measure the level of noise exposure among workers in a Tunisian ship repair company and to assess its audiometric impact. Methods Retrospective descriptive study carried out among workers exposed to noise in the various workshops of a ship repair company, between 2020 and 2021, based on the analysis of medical files with audiograms, completed by a questionnaire and a sonometric study. Results Our study population consisted of 138 male workers (87 laborers and 51 technicians) with a mean age of 39.6 ± 8.5 years. A noise level ≥85dB was recorded in 74.6% of cases. Symptoms were mainly tinnitus (73%). A tonal loss ≥ 5dB on at least one frequency of the audiogram was objectified in 90 workers (65.2%) with a predominance on high frequencies. Hearing was classified as normal to subnormal 98.6% of the time. The majority of workers (90.6%) were kept in their workstations while insisting on the regular wearing of hearing protection. In multivariate logistic regression, the tonal loss ≥ 5dB on at least one frequency was associated with an age ≥38 years (aOR = 2.4 [1.0 - 5.5]; p = 0.03) and the laborer workstation (aOR = 2.4 [1.0 - 5.3]; p = 0.03). Discussion High noise levels and tonal loss, however slight, have been demonstrated in more than two-thirds of workers. Conclusion Our study therefore confirms the need for an adequate preventive approach in order to preserve the hearing of shipyard work.