Short for Determination of Sound Exposures, DOSES was designed to be a tool for mine safety professionals and management to more easily identify and rectify noise exposure problems at operations.

“Hearing loss resulting from overexposure to noise continues to be a problem throughout the US mining industry,” said NIOSH researchers Gregory Cole and Ellsworth Spencer of the Pittsburgh Research Laboratory in Pennsylvania.

“Studies have indicated that 70 to 90 per cent of all miners have a noise-induced hearing loss severe enough to be classified as a hearing disability by the time they reach retirement age.”

DOSES relies on time-motion study data to establish a profile for each individual and his or her daily tasks and everyday routine. Once the data is compiled, a dosimeter or sound-level meter gathers associated sound levels at each location, which are entered into the program as well as the parameters of start and stop time.

The software can then assess each worker’s noise exposure by analysis of the time-motion study data, and illustrate results in a tab format on the screen for review. A formula within the program will also calculate exposure using NIOSH recommended exposure limits, US Mine Safety and Health Administration permissible exposure levels, or MSHA action levels.

It can also show a cumulative indication of the dose of noise over time as each observation is entered into the system. More in-depth overviews can be displayed via tables and bar graphs, and dosimeter log information can be imported for comparison with observation-based outcomes.

NIOSH noted that mines can customize the reports and print or save them in HTML format.

“With these analysis capabilities, high-noise exposure aspects of the job can be easily identified by task or location, allowing the safety officer to mitigate them with engineering or administrative noise controls,” the researchers said, adding that the raw observation data can be easily exported into ASCII format and used by other programs.

The DOSES software is currently available for download directly from NIOSH at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/products/product162.htm.