Chantal Laroche

University of Ottawa · Audiology and SLP program

Objective: This study explored the effects of hearing protection devices (HPDs) and head protection on the ability of normal-hearing individuals to localize reverse alarms in background noise. Background: Among factors potentially contributing to accidents involving heavy vehicles, reverse alarms can be difficult to localize in space, leading to...

Aware of a heightened concern of citizens about the impact of noise on their quality of life and of its harmful effects on health, the Quebec Minister of Health and Social Services (MSSS) asked the Quebec National Institute of Public Health to provide a scientific advice on the relevance of a Public Policy for Environmental and Occupational Noise C...

Objective: Study the effects of hearing loss and language proficiency in a speech task over radio transmission. Design: Four TCAPS device conditions (2 models × 2 talk-through modes) were investigated with the Modified Rhyme Test (MRT) conducted in talker-listener pairs immersed in 85-dBA noise. Speech quality ratings and preferred radio volume lev...

Objective: Develop valid and defensible hearing standards for Ontario constables to ensure safe and efficient operations. Design: Research involved three steps: (1) identification of hearing critical (HC) tasks, (2) characterisation of real-world noise environments where these tasks are performed (3) and establishment of screening criteria and prot...

Purpose: The main purpose of this article is to produce a French-Canadian translation of the Consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative studies (COREQ) scale under the proposed name "échelle COREQ" and to assess the transcultural validity of its content. The secondary purpose is to examine the inter-rater reliability of the French-Canadian ver...

Purpose: The main purpose is to produce a French-Canadian translation of the "STrengthening the Reporting of OBservational studies in Epidemiology" (STROBE) Statement under the proposed name of "outil STROBE" and to assess the cross-cultural validity of its content. The secondary purpose is to examine its preliminary interrater reliability. Method...

Objective: Validate use of the Extended Speech Intelligibility Index (ESII) for prediction of speech intelligibility in non-stationary real-world noise environments. Define a means of using these predictions for objective occupational hearing screening for hearing-critical public safety and law enforcement jobs. Design: Analyses of predicted and...

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to (1) identify essential hearing-critical job tasks for public safety and law enforcement personnel; (2) determine the locations and real-world noise environments where these tasks are performed; (3) characterize each noise environment in terms of its impact on the likelihood of effective speech commu...

Objectives: The primary objective was to produce a French-Canadian translation of AMSTAR (a measurement tool to assess systematic reviews) and to examine the validity of the translation's contents. The secondary and tertiary objectives were to assess the inter-rater reliability and factorial construct validity of this French-Canadian version of AMS...

Objective: To measure masked detection and reaction thresholds for two reverse alarms (tonal and broadband) and compare results to available standards and psychoacoustic criteria for setting alarm levels. Design: Alarm detection and reaction thresholds were adaptively measured in 80-dBA background noises without hearing protection (Experiment 1)...

In many countries, reverse alarms are mandatory on heavy vehicles to alert pedestrians and workers of a potentially imminent danger, so that they may retreat to safety. To be effective, reverse alarms must be easy to detect and attract attention at realistic levels in the noisy workplace. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of...

Electronic level-dependent hearing protectors aim to enhance communications and situational awareness in the noisy workplace compared to passive hearing protectors. From a listener’s perspective, the fixed attenuation provided by passive hearing protection interferes with speech recognition in noise in users with hearing loss. From a talker’s persp...

Previous studies have shown that perception of warning signals in noisy workplaces can be compromised when wearing conventional hearing protectors. Level-dependent hearing protectors have been developed to increase environmental awareness and, by extension, to improve worker safety. A set of studies was conducted to assess the potential benefits of...

Noise exposure in the workplace is a common reality in Québec, Canada as it is elsewhere. However, the extent to which noise acts as a causal or contributive factor in industrial work-related accidents has not been studied thoroughly despite its plausibility. This article aims to describe the importance or potential importance, during investigation...

Purpose: To prepare a Canadian French translation of the PEDro Scale under the proposed name l'Échelle PEDro, and to examine the validity of its content. Methods: A modified approach of Vallerand's cross-cultural validation methodology was used, beginning with a parallel back-translation of the PEDro scale by both professional translators and cl...

In many countries, the use of reverse alarms is mandatory on most heavy vehicles. Nevertheless, a high number of accidents involving vehicles in reverse motion still occur and various questions related to the use of reverse alarms in the workplace are regularly raised. These include fundamental knowledge on the ability to detect, localize and react...

Purpose: To prepare a Canadian French translation of the PEDro Scale under the proposed name l’E´ chelle PEDro, and to examine the validity of its content. Methods: A modified approach of Vallerand’s cross-cultural validation methodology was used, beginning with a parallel back-translation of the PEDro scale by both professional translators and cli...

Performance of a broadband reverse alarm was compared to that of a conventional tonal alarm from a worker-safety standpoint in two studies. In the first, sound pressure level measurements in the field and psychoacoustic measurements in the laboratory revealed that the broadband alarm generates a much more uniform sound field behind vehicles, is eas...

This article aims to demystify the role of the speech language pathologist in legal cases heard before the courts in Quebec, by describing the role of the expert witness and by addressing the following questions: 1) Do speech language pathologists have a role to play as expert witnesses in legal cases involving children and adults?; 2) What are the...

Objectives: To determine the effects of different control settings of level-dependent hearing protectors on speech recognition performance in interaction with hearing loss. Design: Controlled laboratory experiment with two level-dependent devices (Peltor® PowerCom Plus™ and Nacre QuietPro®) in two military noises. Study sample: Word recognitio...

New technology for heavy vehicle reverse alarms has recently appeared on the market. According to the manufacturer, this technology, based on the use of a broadband signal (shh…shh…shh signal), is safer for workers and causes less noise pollution than the conventional tone alarm (beep…beep…beep signal). However, it is difficult to say whether this...

Police constables perform hearing-critical (HC) jobs in noisy environments. Hearing fitness standards are necessary to ensure that constables possess the necessary auditory skills to perform their work safely and efficiently. The Ontario Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services is reviewing its standards for applicants to better take...

Hearing aids are frequently prescribed to workers with noise-induced hearing loss to improve hearing and communication. While specifically designed to optimize speech perception, hearing aids can be detrimental to sound localization. Moreover, their use in noisy workplaces is often not recommended for fear of overexposure to loud sounds and consequ...

Workers must be sufficiently protected from noise while maintaining good communication abilities. Conventional hearing protectors provide a fixed attenuation at all noise levels and can interfere with speech recognition for workers with a pre-existing condition of hearing loss. Level-dependent devices provide less attenuation (or sometimes amplific...

A technology of backup alarms based on the use of a broadband signal has recently gained popularity in many countries. In this study, the performance of this broadband technology is compared to that of a conventional tonal alarm and a multi-tone alarm from a worker-safety standpoint. Field measurements of sound pressure level patterns behind heavy...

Speech perception in noise is one of the most important tasks for proper communication in everyday listening situations. Multiple clinical tests have been developed to quantify difficulties understanding speech in continuous noise. However, it is now well recognized that everyday noises are fluctuating in nature, and that segments with lower noise...

In-ear and earmuff-type electronic protection devices are rapidly being introduced into the marketplace and deployed in noisy industrial workplaces and military settings. In these environments, workers must be sufficiently protected from noise while being able to maintain good communication abilities and situational awareness. Features such as leve...

Multiple tests have been developed to quantify speech recognition in noise, but the characteristics of the masking noise vary significantly across tests and can considerably impact performance and clinical interpretation. Using the HINT, speech perception in 24 young adults with normal hearing was assessed using both the standard masker (a continuo...

Noise is omnipresent and impacts us all in many aspects of daily living. Noise can interfere with communication not only in industrial workplaces, but also in other work settings (e.g. open-plan offices, construction, and mining) and within buildings (e.g. residences, arenas, and schools). The interference of noise with communication can have signi...

Sample results from an extensive set of electroacoustic and psychoacoustic experiments are presented for one powered electronic earmuff headset, the PELTOR® Powercom Plus™ from Aearo Technologies (3M). The goal is to illustrate, through this device, typical performance characteristics to be expected from level-dependent hearing protectors and their...

The effects of two tactical headsets with level-dependent hearing protection capabilities on face-to-face speech intelligibility in military noise were investigated. Devices were the Nacre QuietPro and the Peltor Powercom Plus. Noises recorded from light-artillery vehicles in the Canadian Forces were reproduced in a simulation room at 80-95 dBA. Ov...

The effects of two advanced level-dependent communication devices on face-to-face speech intelligibility in military noises were investigated. Devices were the NACRE QuietPro and the PELTOR Powercom Plus. Noises from the LAVIII and Bison light-artillery vehicles were reproduced in a noise simulation room at 80-95 dBA. Over 45 subjects covering a wi...

Auditory fitness for duty (AFFD) testing is an important element in an assessment of workers' ability to perform job tasks safely and effectively. Functional hearing is particularly critical to job performance in law enforcement. Most often, assessment is based on pure-tone detection thresholds; however, its validity can be questioned and challenge...

A speech intelligibility model was developed and validated for use in workplace environments with hazardous noise levels that require the use of hearing protection devices (HPDs). Two speech perception studies were carried out in laboratory simulations of eight workplace noise environments. The first experiment (n = 32 normal-hearing individuals) w...

The objective of the study was to validate the use of a tool incorporating TTS measurements as a preventive measure to provide feedback to portable device users. Hearing thresholds were measured prior to and following a one-hour exposure to music from the individual’s own portable devices, in a 70-dBA bus noise. Listening levels were adjusted by th...

Warning sounds are necessary to promptly alert workers of events that can compromise safety in the workplace. Unfortunately, the use of warning signals in industry is often submitted to intuitive installation practices with little regard to the many factors contributing to an efficient and safe use. Factors affecting the audibility of warning sound...

A study was conducted to report on the functional assessment of 57 Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) members. These members were facing operational restrictions due to hearing thresholds exceeding existing health policy criteria. The primary objective of the assessment was to assist RCMP in making better decisions regarding fitness-to-work in me...

A predictive model of speech intelligibility was developed and validated for use in workplace environments characterized by hazardous noise levels requiring the use of hearing protection devices. The model takes into account the characteristics of the noise field, the signal-to-noise ratio, the attenuation of the device, and the hearing status of t...

Auditory temporary threshold shift (TTS) measurements are proposed as a tool to sensitize the public to the potential risk of portable audio devices. This study considered the feasibility and reliability of the projected user-administered TTS measure. The best tone frequency, mode of signal presentation and step size to use, as well as the effect o...

A speech intelligibility model was developed and validated for use in workplace environments characterized by hazardous noise levels requiring the use of hearing protection devices (HPDs). The model takes into account the characteristics of the noise field, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the attenuation of the device, and the hearing status of th...

Acoustic warning signals are often necessary in industrial settings to promptly alert workers of events that can compromise safety. However, the perception of warning signals in noisy settings depends on many factors, including the warning sound levels relative to the background noise, the use of hearing protectors, and the workers' hearing status....

A predictive model of speech intelligibility was developed and validated for use in workplace environments characterized by hazardous noise levels requiring the use of hearing protection devices. The model takes into account the characteristics of the noise field, the signal-to-noise ratio, the attenuation of the device, and the hearing status of t...

Effective communication is a crucial requirement in many workplaces to ensure safe and effective operations. Often, critical verbal communications are carried out in noise, which can be very challenging, particularly for individuals with hearing loss. Diagnostic measures of hearing, such as the audiogram, are not adequate to make accurate predictio...

A Canadian French version of the Hearing in Noise Test (HINT) has been developed to assess children's ability to recognize speech in noise. To avoid testing a large number of children in each clinical test site to establish soundfield norms, a protocol based on the use of correction factors has been proposed and validated in the current study. More...

For several decades, hearing tests have been carried out in audiometric test rooms which must meet acoustical requirements set forth in standards on ambient noise levels (i.e., ANSI S3.1-1999 (R2003)). It is however generally accepted that acoustical environments in which individuals with hearing loss function daily seldom correspond to environment...

Noise exposure in the workplace is a common reality in Québec, Canada as it is elsewhere. However, the extent to which noise acts as a causal or contributive factor in industrial work-related accidents has not been studied thoroughly despite its plausibility. This article aims to describe the importance or potential importance, during investigation...

Detectsound is a practical software tool for predicting the audibility of acoustic warning signals in real-life situations, taking into account the hearing status of target workers or populations, the background noise and the use of hearing protection. Another tool, AlarmLocator, has been developed to automate the process of installing warning devi...

A psychoacoustic model is presented to facilitate the installation of acoustic warning devices in noisy settings, reflecting a major upgrade of a former tool, Detectsound. The model can be used to estimate the optimal level and spectrum of acoustic warning signals based on the noise field in the workplace, the hearing status of workers, and the att...

The Lombard effect of increasing one’s vocal effort in the presence of background noise has been quantified by Pearsons et al. (1977) as a 0.6 dB increase in speech levels for each dB increase in the background noise up to a ceiling level. Lombard speech has also been investigated in other studies with variable results. This study reports data on t...

The effect of sentence repetition on speech intelligibility in noise was investigated. The benefits of repetition on word intelligibility under continuous and fluctuation noise conditions and the effects of noise conditions on the parameters of the performance-intelligibility (PI) function for sentence spoken once or twice, was examined. Eighteen F...

A method to facilitate the process of installing auditory warning devices in noisy work plants is presented. A new tool, AlarmLocator, is used to forecast warning sound propagation and is integrated with an existing psychoacoustic model of sound perception, Detectsound, to provide an optimal solution for the use of warning devices in the plant. Spe...

This paper describes the development of a children's version of the French HINT and reports the results of a preliminary study exploring the effect of age on speech recognition thresholds for sentences. The French HINT for children consists of 17 phonemically balanced lists of 10 sentences, derived from the original material of the French HINT (Vai...

Good verbal communication is essential to ensure safety in the workplace and social participation during daily activities. In many situations, speech comprehension is difficult due to hearing problems, the presence of noise or other factors. As a result, listeners must often ask the speaker to repeat what was said in order to understand the complet...

The military personnel regularly face a wide range of noise-hazardous situations, many of which are seldom encountered in other work environments. This paper reviews the essential elements of a hearing loss prevention program proposed for the Canadian Armed Forces. The program has been designed to meet the noise measurement and hazard investigation...

Six adults with symmetrical sensorineural hearing loss, with no visual impairment, were fitted with two digital hearing aids. The participants experimented two fitting strategies (linear vs. Wide Dynamic Range Compression (WDRC) in a double-blind design. After 1-month adaptation period, participants were blindfolded and tested. Experimental measure...

The HINT provides an efficient and reliable method of assessing speech intelligibility in quiet and in noise by using an adaptive strategy to measure speech reception thresholds for sentences, thus avoiding ceiling and floor effects that plague traditional measures performed at fixed presentation levels A strong need for such a test within the Cana...

In everyday life situations and in many occupational settings, speech communication is often performed in noisy environments. These environments can sometimes be very challenging, particularly for individuals impaired by hearing loss. Diagnostic measures of hearing, such as the audiogram, are not adequate to make accurate predictions of speech inte...