OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE TO NOISE DURING AIRPORT GROUND HANDLING - IMPACT AND RECOMMENDATIONS TO REDUCE THE OCCUPATIONAL RISK OF DAMAGE TO THE HEALTH OF WORKERS. CURRENT STATE OF LEGISLATION IN THE FIELD OF NOISE PREVENTION IN THE WORKPLACE IN BULGARIA

Abstract

Those working in the ground handling of aircraft at the airport in the process of performing their activities are exposed to the impact of a complex of harmful and dangerous risk factors, including noise. Noise in the working environment above 85 dB(A) is one of the first unfavorable factors at the airport that affect the functional state of various organs and systems in the human body. Exposure to noise in the work environment at or above 85 dB(A)  can cause a number of complaints related to the central and autonomic nervous systems, disorders in the vestibular and auditory apparatus up to permanent hearing loss, reduced work capacity, impaired concentration, fatigue, difficulty in verbal communication, the ability to hear warning signals, respond to environmental sounds, etc. All this affects the general safety and is a prerequisite for the occurrence of aviation accidents caused by the human factor. The purpose of the present study is to present the results of research conducted on noise at the airport itself and its impact on ground staff, by deriving good practices and examples, to make general conclusions and proposals with a practical orientation for the introduction of a standard for health monitoring and prevention of the risk of noise exposure among airport ground handling workers. The methods used are documentary, formal-logical with analysis of official documents, systematic review of articles and data in the surveyed area. The results of the survey show the lack of clear legal rules and standards in the Republic of Bulgaria regarding the health screening of hearing for those working in environments with excessive noise levels, including for ground handling operators at airports. Therefore, solutions to this problem must be implemented, in particular through the introduction of a standard and the introduction of clear criteria for health monitoring, engineering, ergonomic knowledge and preventive measures. Hearing prevention, early screening and health monitoring among workers at excessive levels of noise in the work environment should be a priority of every legislation, responsibility and obligation of every employer.