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Fit for the frontline? Identification of mission-critical auditory tasks (MCATs) carried out by infantry and combat-support personnel

Fit for the frontline? Identification of mission-critical auditory tasks (MCATs) carried out by infantry and combat-support personnel
Fit for the frontline? Identification of mission-critical auditory tasks (MCATs) carried out by infantry and combat-support personnel
The ability to listen to commands in noisy environments and understand acoustic signals, whilst maintaining situational awareness, is an important skill for military personnel, and can be critical for mission success. Seventeen auditory tasks carried out by British infantry and combat-support personnel were identified through a series of focus groups conducted by Bevis et al.1. For military personnel these auditory tasks are termed mission-critical auditory tasks (MCATs) if they are carried in out in a military specific environment and have a negative consequence when performed below a specified level. A questionnaire study was conducted to find out which of the auditory tasks identified by Bevis et al.1 satisfy the characteristics of an MCAT. Seventy-nine British infantry and combat-support personnel from four regiments across the South of England participated. For each auditory task participants indicated: 1) the consequences of poor performance on the task, 2) who performs the task and 3) how frequently the task is carried out. The data were analysed to determine which tasks are carried out by all personnel, have the most negative consequences when performed poorly and are performed the most frequently. This resulted in a list of nine MCATs (seven speech communication tasks, one sound localisation task and one sound detection task) that should be prioritised for representation in a measure of auditory fitness for duty (AFFD) for these personnel. Incorporating MCATs in AFFD measures will help to ensure that personnel have the necessary auditory skills for safe and effective deployment on operational duties.
hearing loss, communication, military, auditory fitness for duty, mission-critical hearing tasks
1463-1741
98-107
Semeraro, Hannah D.
35b3bdf0-49cf-41ea-a37f-50884b5b349f
Bevis, Zoë L.
fd2d4508-834d-4839-8d62-430e2b5812f9
Rowan, Daniel
5a86eebe-53da-4cd2-953e-e3ca1ae61578
van Besouw, Rachel M.
464435ed-eadc-4fcc-9d69-eb267d8fe81b
Allsopp, Adrian J.
53bea8d3-41df-44c6-ad39-f41bbbfef927
Semeraro, Hannah D.
35b3bdf0-49cf-41ea-a37f-50884b5b349f
Bevis, Zoë L.
fd2d4508-834d-4839-8d62-430e2b5812f9
Rowan, Daniel
5a86eebe-53da-4cd2-953e-e3ca1ae61578
van Besouw, Rachel M.
464435ed-eadc-4fcc-9d69-eb267d8fe81b
Allsopp, Adrian J.
53bea8d3-41df-44c6-ad39-f41bbbfef927

Semeraro, Hannah D., Bevis, Zoë L., Rowan, Daniel, van Besouw, Rachel M. and Allsopp, Adrian J. (2015) Fit for the frontline? Identification of mission-critical auditory tasks (MCATs) carried out by infantry and combat-support personnel. Noise and Health, 17 (75), 98-107, [75]. (doi:10.4103/1463-1741.153401).

Record type: Article

Abstract

The ability to listen to commands in noisy environments and understand acoustic signals, whilst maintaining situational awareness, is an important skill for military personnel, and can be critical for mission success. Seventeen auditory tasks carried out by British infantry and combat-support personnel were identified through a series of focus groups conducted by Bevis et al.1. For military personnel these auditory tasks are termed mission-critical auditory tasks (MCATs) if they are carried in out in a military specific environment and have a negative consequence when performed below a specified level. A questionnaire study was conducted to find out which of the auditory tasks identified by Bevis et al.1 satisfy the characteristics of an MCAT. Seventy-nine British infantry and combat-support personnel from four regiments across the South of England participated. For each auditory task participants indicated: 1) the consequences of poor performance on the task, 2) who performs the task and 3) how frequently the task is carried out. The data were analysed to determine which tasks are carried out by all personnel, have the most negative consequences when performed poorly and are performed the most frequently. This resulted in a list of nine MCATs (seven speech communication tasks, one sound localisation task and one sound detection task) that should be prioritised for representation in a measure of auditory fitness for duty (AFFD) for these personnel. Incorporating MCATs in AFFD measures will help to ensure that personnel have the necessary auditory skills for safe and effective deployment on operational duties.

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More information

Accepted/In Press date: 16 February 2015
e-pub ahead of print date: 16 March 2015
Published date: 16 March 2015
Keywords: hearing loss, communication, military, auditory fitness for duty, mission-critical hearing tasks
Organisations: Inst. Sound & Vibration Research

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 374477
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/374477
ISSN: 1463-1741
PURE UUID: cad90713-724e-4f2a-b3d2-452d08e6ea45
ORCID for Daniel Rowan: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-7190-9997

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Date deposited: 17 Feb 2015 15:43
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:14

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Contributors

Author: Zoë L. Bevis
Author: Daniel Rowan ORCID iD
Author: Rachel M. van Besouw
Author: Adrian J. Allsopp

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