DOI : https://doi.org/10.56338/mppki.v9i10.11352

Subjective Hearing Complaints as Early Indicators of Hearing Health Risk Among Indonesian Plywood Workers

Elmerilia Tandilangi (1), Hanifa M. Denny (2), Onny Setiani (3), Nur Endah Wahyuningsih (4)
(1) Doctoral Student of Public Health Program, Public Health Faculty, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia
(2) Department of Occupational Safety and Health, Faculty of Public Health, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia
(3) Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of. Public Health, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia
(4) Department of Environmental Health, Faculty of. Public Health, Diponegoro University, Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia
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Tandilangi, E., Denny, H. M., Setiani, O., & Wahyuningsih, N. E. (2026). Subjective Hearing Complaints as Early Indicators of Hearing Health Risk Among Indonesian Plywood Workers. Media Publikasi Promosi Kesehatan Indonesia, 9(10), 1871–1878. https://doi.org/10.56338/mppki.v9i10.11352
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Introduction: Occupational noise is an important environmental risk factor that may cause hearing disorders among industrial workers. Subjective hearing complaints as an early detection method of hearing health risk have not been well explored in Indonesia, particularly among plywood industry workers exposed to continuous occupational noise. This study aimed to identify subjective hearing complaints as early indicators of hearing health risks among plywood workers.


Methods: This descriptive observational study employed a cross-sectional approach among 54 production workers from PT Kayu Lapis Indonesia using a total population sampling method. Questionnaire data and audiometric records involving workers were collected in 2025, while environmental noise was measured in 2024 using a sound level meter. Descriptive statistical analysis and Fisher's exact test were performed to compare differences among machine operator groups.


Results: Clinic records classified all 54 workers as having normal hearing, although available frequency-specific thresholds ranged from 5 to 35 dB. Workers reported emotional disturbance (70.37%), tinnitus (55.56%), difficulty concentrating (31.48%), and difficulty understanding speech (16.67%); these are complaint-specific proportions and do not imply that every worker reported a complaint. Fisher's exact test detected no statistically significant difference among machine groups for any of the four complaints (all p > 0.05).


Conclusion: Auditory and non-auditory complaints were reported despite normal clinic-assigned hearing classifications. These cross-sectional findings do not establish that noise caused the complaints or that complaints predict hearing loss. Structured symptom documentation may complement audiometry; the preventive and health-promotion approaches discussed are literature-informed options that were not evaluated in this study.

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