Background: Firefighters as a group are workers who are continuously and repeatedly exposed to various hazardous substances and noises at accident scenes. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has upgraded the occupational exposure of firefighters to Group 1, the highest level of carcinogenicity to humans. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review of published studies on occupational noise exposure and hearing among South Korean firefighters. Methods: All papers written in Korean and English were searched using RISS, Medline, SCOPUS, and KoreaMed. After excluding duplicates and content unrelated to the topic, a total of 13 papers were selected and a literature review was conducted. Results: Among the 13 papers, five were experimental studies and eight were observational studies. The types of data used in the studies included seven experimental studies, three questionnaires, and six secondary data. Some papers utilized both experimental and survey methods, while others combined surveys with secondary data. In some papers, the average daily noise exposure for firefighters was reported to be 69 to 79 dB, which was not particularly high, indicating a low possibility of exposure to high noise levels over a short period of time. The incidence of noise-induced hearing loss among firefighters was found to be higher than that of the general population (p< 0.023). Conclusions: Firefighters are exposed to high noise levels in their occupations, and the incidence of noise induced hearing loss is also high. Preventive measures such as the use of hearing protection devices, introduction of noise exposure risk education, treatment programs, monitoring of noise exposure levels at accident scenes and in daily activities, and environmental improvements are suggested to prevent hearing loss in firefighters. This study can be used to inform the development of mid- to long-term policies aimed at improving the occupational environment and disease prevention for firefighters in the future.
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