Measuring Auditory Fitness in Locomotive Engineers: Development and Validation of a Signal Detection Test

Objectives: To perform their job safely and effectively, locomotive engineers are required to detect auditory warning signals in the noisy work setting of a train cabin. Based on audio recordings of Dutch train cabins, we have developed a task and job-specific test for assessing the engineer’s ability to detect the two acoustic warning signals for the Dutch situation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability, agreement, and construct validity of this test. Design: Two experiments were performed. In the first experiment, reliability and agreement of the signal detection test were assessed. Normally hearing individuals (N = 12) completed a signal detection test twice in 12 driving conditions. In the second experiment, construct validity was assessed. We retrospectively identified locomotive engineers, suspected of being hearing impaired, who were referred to the Amsterdam UMC for an auditory fitness for job assessment. All included engineers (N = 83) performed the signal detection test in four driving conditions, underwent tone audiometry and two speech perception in noise tests, and rated the effort and concentration it takes to detect the auditory signals. Seven a priori formulated hypotheses were tested. Results: In the first experiment, sufficient reliability and agreement were found in nine driving conditions (ICC = 0.54–0.81; standard error of measurement = 1.15–1.92), poor reliability in two driving conditions (ICC 
Source: Ear and Hearing - Category: Audiology Tags: Research Article Source Type: research