Future needs for improvement of noise-induced hearing loss awareness training and hearing protection device practices in the South African mining industry

Abstract

An investigation of the current practices and policies at various mines of the training practices and the employees’ knowledge of the risks as well as the miner’s use of HPDs was initiated by the Safety in Mining Research Advisory Committee (SIMRAC) in order to identify the future needs of the industry with regards to improvement of NIHL awareness training to target audiences in the mining industry. This paper outlines the results of the study that interviewed 143 employees from a wide range of occupations and ten Training and HPD managers who represent the practices at various commodities and sizes of mining operations and affect approximately 135 000 miners.