Current moves in Australian based noise exposure research W Williams National Acoustic Laboratories Annual Conference NHCA February 25th – 27th, 2010 Orlando , FL

Epidemiology The extent of hearing loss in Australia Importance as the population profile ages Sources of significant noise exposure Work, non-work and leisure noise Life-cycle noise exposure Employment, social and financial effects

Workplace noise Significant industries Awareness of regulations, etc Variation across industries (s, m, l) Extent of exposure Action taken Priority

Non-work & leisure noise Significant sources over the life-cycle What we don’t know Preventative actions taken by individuals Participation rates of the population Awareness and attitudes to sound/noise

iHEAR Surveying young Australians Hearing health Attitudes to noise Knowledge of hearing health Self-initiated preventative actions

FarmSafe Australia The hearing health of rural families Health networks Information networks Preventative action Fatalism

Hearing protectors Developments in technology Attitudes towards HPs Cancellation Communication Comfort Attitudes towards HPs Use of HPs Behaviour People

Common threads Preventative action Prevention program flaws/faults Common/inbuilt limitations Attitudes to noise Knowledge of hearing health Importance of hearing health

Conclusion Rising awareness by health authorities Workplace General Partly driven through the community by: ageing population awareness of their personal environment awareness of personal and family health