Fulltext

Does Modern Helicopter Construction Reduce Noise Exposure in Helicopter Rescue Operations?

Küpper, Thomas ; Jansing, Paul ; Schöffl, Volker ; van Der Giet, Simone

In: Annals Of Occupational Hygiene, 2013, vol. 57, no. 1, p. 34-42

Add to personal list
    Title
    • Does Modern Helicopter Construction Reduce Noise Exposure in Helicopter Rescue Operations?
    Author
    • Küpper, Thomas. Institute for Occupational and Social Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen/Germany
    • Jansing, Paul. Medical Commission of the Union Internationale des Associations d'Alpinisme (UIAA MedCom Bern, Switzerland)
    • Schöffl, Volker. Department of Trauma and Orthopedic Surgery, Klinikum Bamberg, Germany
    • van Der Giet, Simone. Institute for Occupational and Social Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen/Germany
    Document Type
    • Postprint
    Language
    • English
    Published in
    • Annals Of Occupational Hygiene, 2013, vol. 57, no. 1, p. 34-42. Oxford University Press
    Other Version
    OAI-PMH Identifier
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:290173
    Summary
    Background: During helicopter rescue operations the medical personnel are at high risk for hearing damage by noise exposure. There are two important factors to be taken into account: first, the extreme variability, with some days involving no exposure but other days with extreme exposure; second, the extreme noise levels during work outside the helicopter, e.g. during winch operations. The benefit of modern, less noisier constructions and the consequences for noise protection are still unknown. Objectives: We estimated the noise exposure of the personnel for different helicopter types used during rescue operations in the Alps and in other regions of the world with special regard to the advanced types like Eurocopter EC 135 to compare the benefit of modern constructions for noise protection with earlier ones. Methods: The rescue operations over 1 year of four rescue bases in the Alps (Raron and Zermatt in Switzerland; Landeck and Innsbruck in Austria, n = 2731) were analyzed for duration of rescue operations (noise exposure). Noise levels were measured during rescue operations at defined points inside and outside the different aircraft. The setting is according to the European standard (Richtlinie 2003/10/EG Amtsblatt) and to Class 1 DIN/IEC 651. With both data sets the equivalent noise level Leq8h was calculated. For comparison it was assumed that all rescue operations were performed with a specific type of helicopter. Then model calculations for noise exposure by different helicopter types, such as Alouette IIIb, Alouette II ‘Lama', Ecureuil AS350, Bell UH1D, Eurocopter EC135, and others were performed. Results and conclusions: Depending on modern technologies the situation for the personnel has been improved significantly. Nevertheless noise prevention, which includes noise intermissions in spare time, is essential. Medical checks of the crews by occupational medicine (e.g. ‘G20' in Germany) are still mandatory