Abstract:
This paper focuses on noise exposure and its relationship to tinnitus. In a study of 38 725 Western Australian workers exposed to occupational noise, 28% reported tinnitus. As more studies identify occupational noise exposure as the major cause of tinnitus, it will be necessary to look carefully at ways of introducing information about tinnitus into hearing conservation programs without unnecessarily alarming workers and employers and initiating a flood of claims for compensation. There exists a need for universally accepted disability standards for tinnitus and better education concerning tinnitus for both workers and employers.