751 Study Guide

OSHAcademy Course751StudyGuide
HearingConservation
ProgramManagement
Copyright20002014GeigleSafetyGroup,Inc.Page1of85
OSHAcademyCourse751StudyGuide
HearingConservationProgram
Copyright2014GeigleSafetyGroup,Inc.
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Table of Contents
CourseIntroduction........................................................................................................................7
MillionsAreExposedtoHazardousLevelsofNoiseEachDay...............................................7
HighRiskIndustries................................................................................................................7
Whatsthestandard?..............................................................................................................8
HearingConservationProgram...............................................................................................8
Module1:Thebasics......................................................................................................................9
SoundandNoiseWhatsthedifference?............................................................................9
Howissoundmeasured?........................................................................................................9
Howdoestheearwork?.........................................................................................................9
ThePerilsofExposure...........................................................................................................10
Exposuretochemicals..........................................................................................................11
Howdoessounddamagehearing?.......................................................................................11
Howtoknowifyourhearingisdamaged.............................................................................11
Module1Quiz...........................................................................................................................13
MODULE2:EvaluatingExposures.................................................................................................14
WarningSignsofHazardousWorkplaceNoise.....................................................................14
HowtoevaluateNoiseexposure?........................................................................................14
IndicationsofaProblem.......................................................................................................14
Walkaroundsurvey..............................................................................................................15
WorkshiftSampling.............................................................................................................15
NoiseSurveyInstruments.....................................................................................................16
Module2Quiz...........................................................................................................................18
Module3:ReducingNoiseRelatedHazards.................................................................................19
Introduction..........................................................................................................................19
EngineeringandAdministrativeControls.............................................................................19
Engineeringcontrols.............................................................................................................19
ExamplesofEngineeringControls........................................................................................20
AdministrativeControls........................................................................................................21
ManagementResponsibilities...............................................................................................22
EmployeeResponsibilities....................................................................................................22
Module3Quiz...........................................................................................................................24
Module4:HearingConservationPrograms.................................................................................25
Introduction..........................................................................................................................25
Whatconstitutesaneffectivehearingconservationprogram?...........................................25
ProgramElements.................................................................................................................25
MonitoringProgram.............................................................................................................25
ProvidingHearingProtectionDevices(HPDs)ManagementResponsibilities..................26
HearingProtectionDevices(HPDs)BasicRequirements..................................................27
HPDSelectionandUse..........................................................................................................27
FittingHPDs..........................................................................................................................28
HPDAttenuation...................................................................................................................28
HearingProtectionLabeling.................................................................................................29
EmployeeTrainingandEducation........................................................................................30
AccesstoInformationandTrainingMaterials......................................................................31
Module4Quiz...........................................................................................................................32
Module5:HearingConservationProgramBenefits....................................................................34
Introduction..........................................................................................................................34
TheCosts...............................................................................................................................34
EmployerBenefits.................................................................................................................34
EmployeeBenefits................................................................................................................35
Module5Quiz...........................................................................................................................37
Module6:HearingConservation:RequiredMonitoring.............................................................39
Whenmusttheemployerrepeatmonitoring?....................................................................39
Whatisaudiometrictesting?................................................................................................39
Whatisabaselineaudiogram?.............................................................................................40
Whatareannualaudiograms?..............................................................................................40
Whatisanemployerrequiredtodofollowinganaudiogramevaluation?.........................41
Whenshouldanemployerperformanaudiogram?............................................................41
Whenareemployeesrequiredtowearhearingprotectors?...............................................42
NoiseReductionRatings(NRR).............................................................................................42
StandardThresholdShift(STS).............................................................................................42
WhatTrainingisrequired?...................................................................................................42
Whatexposureandtestingrecordsmustemployerskeep?................................................43
Module6Quiz...........................................................................................................................44
Module7:HearingConservationProgramAudit(Optional)........................................................46
Introduction..........................................................................................................................46
Programevaluationchecklist,canservewell......................................................................46
Howdoessafetyandhealthmanagementsystemassistancehelpemployersand
employees?...........................................................................................................................48
HearingConservationProgramEvaluationChecklist...........................................................49
EngineeringandAdministrativeControls.............................................................................50
HearingProtectionDevices...................................................................................................52
Module7Quiz...........................................................................................................................54
Module8:PolicyNeeds(Optional)...............................................................................................56
PoliciesManagementMustAddress....................................................................................56
Settinguptrainingsessions..................................................................................................58
ProgramImplementerResponsibilities................................................................................59
RewardsandPunishments....................................................................................................61
RecordKeeping.....................................................................................................................62
Module8Quiz...........................................................................................................................66
Module9:TheFutureofHearingLossPrevention(Optional).....................................................68
Introduction..........................................................................................................................68
HolisticApproach:LookingatFactorsOtherThanNoise.....................................................68
TaskBasedExposureAssessment........................................................................................69
NewDirectionsinTheoriesaboutSelfProtectiveBehavior................................................71
Module9Quiz...........................................................................................................................73
AppendixA....................................................................................................................................74
SoundLevelMeterConsiderationsforUse............................................................................74
MeasuringImpulse/ImpactSounds..........................................................................................74
ANSIStandards..........................................................................................................................74
AppendixB....................................................................................................................................76
DosimeterConsiderationsforUse..........................................................................................76
Settings......................................................................................................................................76
DosimeterReadout...................................................................................................................77
AmericanNationalStandardsInstitute(ANSI)Standards........................................................78
Glossary.........................................................................................................................................80
Endnotes.......................................................................................................................................85
Course Introduction
Millions Are Exposed to Hazardous Levels of Noise Each Day
IntheUnitedStates,fourmillionworkersgotoworkeachdayindamagingnoise.Tenmillion
peoplehaveanoiserelatedhearingloss.Occupationalhearinglossisthemostcommonwork
relatedillnessintheUnitedStates.Approximately22millionU.S.workersexposedto
hazardousnoiselevelsatwork,andanadditional9millionexposedtoototoxicchemicals.An
estimated$242millionisspentannuallyonworkerscompensationforhearinglossdisability.
In2007,approximately23,000caseswerereportedofoccupationalhearinglossthatwasgreat
enoughtocausehearingimpairment.In2008,approximately2millionU.S.workerswere
exposedtonoiselevelsatworkthatputthematriskofhearingloss.In2007,approximately
82%ofthecasesinvolvingoccupationalhearinglosswerereportedamongworkersinthe
manufacturingsector.Noiserelatedhearinglosshasbeenlistedasoneofthemostprevalent
occupationalhealthconcernsintheUnitedStatesformorethan25years.Thousandsof
workerseveryyearsufferfrompreventablehearinglossduetohighworkplacenoiselevels.
HighRisk Industries
Whileanyworkercanbeatriskfornoiseinducedhearinglossintheworkplace,workersin
manyindustrieshavehigherexposurestodangerouslevelsofnoise.Industrieswithhigh
numbersofexposedworkersinclude:agriculture;mining;construction;manufacturingand
utilities;transportation;andmilitary.
Noiseinducedhearinglossisoneofthemostcommonoccupationaldiseaseandthesecond
mostselfreportedoccupationalillnessorinjury.Industryspecificstudiesreveal:
44%ofcarpentersand48%ofplumbersreportedthattheyhadaperceivedhearingloss.
49%ofmale,metal/nonmetalminers,willhaveahearingimpairmentbyage50(vs.9%
ofthegeneralpopulation)risingto70%byage60.
Whileanyworkercanbeatriskfornoise
inducedhearinglossintheworkplace,workers
inmanyindustrieshavehigherexposuresto
dangerouslevelsofnoise.Industrieswithhigh
numbersofexposedworkersinclude:
agriculture;mining;construction;
manufacturingandutilities;transportation;and
military.
Whats the standard?

OSHAsetslegallimits,indecibels,onnoiseexposureintheworkplace.Adecibelistheunit
usedtomeasuretheintensityofasoundandwelltalkmoreaboutthislaterinthecourse.
Theselimitsarebasedontheaverageamountoftimeaworkersisexposedtonoiseoveran8
hourday(calledatimeweightedaverage).Itsimportantthatyourefamiliarwithtwo
importantnoiselevellimitsintheworkplace:
1. OSHA'spermissibleexposurelimit(PEL)is90dBAforallworkersforan8hourday.
2. OSHArequiresemployerstoimplementaHearingConservationProgramwhereworkersare
exposedtoatimeweightedaveragenoiselevelof85dBAorhigheroveran8hourworkshift.
Hearing Conservation Program

OSHAshearingconservationprogramisdesignedtoprotectworkerswithsignificant
occupationalnoiseexposuresfromhearingimpairmenteveniftheyaresubjecttosuchnoise
exposuresovertheirentireworkinglifetimes.
HearingConservationProgramsrequireemployersto:
measurenoiselevels,
providefreeannualhearingexamsandfreehearingprotection,
providetraining,and
conductevaluationsoftheadequacyofthehearingprotectorsinuseunlesschangesto
tools,equipmentandschedulesaremadesothattheyarelessnoisy,andworker
exposuretonoiseislessthanthetimeweightedaverageof85dBAoveran8hourwork
shift.
ThiscoursesummarizestherequiredcomponentofOSHAshearingconservationprogramfor
generalindustry.Itcoversmonitoring,audiometrictesting,hearingprotectors,training,and
recordkeepingrequirements.
Module 1: The basics

Sound and Noise Whats the difference?
Soundconsistsofpressurechangesina
medium(usuallyair),causedbyvibration
orturbulence.Thesepressurechanges
producewavesemanatingawayfromthe
turbulentorvibratingsource.
Noiseisnothingmorethanunwanted
sound.Noiseisoneofthemost
widespreadoccupationalhealthproblems.
Itisabyproductofmanyindustrialprocesses.
How is sound measured?
Soundismeasuredintwoways:decibelsandfrequency.
Decibelsmeasurethepressureofsound.Frequencyisrelatedtoasoundspitchandis
measuredinunitscalledhertz(Hz),orcyclespersecond.Thepitchofasoundhowhighor
lowitseemsishowyouperceiveitsfrequency;thehigherthepitch,thehigherthe
frequency.Highfrequencysoundsaregenerallymoreannoyingthanlowfrequencysoundsand
canbemoreharmfultohearing.
Humanhearingismostsensitivetofrequenciesbetween3,000and4,000Hz.Thatswhypeople
withdamagedhearinghavedifficultyunderstandinghigherpitchedvoicesandothersoundsin
the3,000to4,000Hzrange.
CheckouttheCDCNoiseMeterpagetogetabetterideahowloudisloud.
How does the ear work?
Whensoundwavesentertheouterear,thevibrationsimpacttheeardrumandaretransmitted
tothemiddleandinnerear.
Inthemiddleearthreesmallbonescalledthemalleus(orhammer),theincus(oranvil),andthe
stapes(orstirrup)amplifyandtransmitthevibrationsgeneratedbythesoundtotheinnerear.
Theinnerearcontainsasnaillikestructurecalledthecochleawhichisfilledwithfluidandlined
withcellswithveryfinehairs.Thesemicroscopichairsmovewiththevibrationsandconvert
thesoundwavesintonerveimpulsestheresultisthesoundwehear.Exposuretoloudnoise
candestroythesehaircellsandcausehearingloss!
The Perils of Exposure

Exposuretonoiseismeasuredinunitsofsoundpressurelevelscalleddecibels,namedafter
AlexanderGrahamBell,usingAweightedsoundlevels(dBA).TheAweightedsoundlevels
closelymatchtheperceptionofloudnessbythehumanear.
Exposuretohighlevelsofnoisecauseshearinglossandmaycauseotherharmfulhealtheffects
aswell.Theextentofdamagemostlydependsontheintensityofthenoiseandthedurationof
theexposure.Hearinglosscausedbynoisecanbetemporaryorpermanent.
Temporaryhearinglossresultsfromshorttermexposurestonoise,withnormalhearing
returningafteraperiodofrest.
Prolongedexposuretohighnoiselevelsoveraperiodoftimegraduallycauses
permanentdamage.
Loudnoisecanalsocreatephysicalandpsychologicalstress,reduceproductivity,interferewith
communicationandconcentration,andcontributetoworkplaceaccidentsandinjuriesby
makingitdifficulttohearwarningsignals.
Noiseinducedhearinglosslimitsyourabilitytohearhighfrequencysounds,understand
speech,andseriouslyimpairsyourabilitytocommunicate.
Theeffectsofhearinglosscanbeprofoundashearinglosscaninterferewithyourabilityto
enjoysocializingwithfriends,playingwithyourchildrenorgrandchildren,orparticipatingin
othersocialactivitiesyouenjoy,andcanleadtopsychologicalandsocialisolation.
Exposure to chemicals
Nolongerisnoiseconsideredtobetheonlysourceofhearinglossassociatedwithwork.
Exposuretochemicals,suchasaromaticsolventsandmetalssuchaslead,arsenic,andmercury
canresultinhearingloss.
Combinedexposurestonoiseandchemicalscancausemorehearinglossthanexposureto
eitheragentalone.Vibrationandextremeheatarealsopotentiallyharmfultohearingwhen
combinedwithnoise.
How does sound damage hearing?
Veryloudsoundscandamagethesensitivehaircellsinyourinnerear.Haircellsarethefoot
soldiersforyourhearing.Asthenumberofdamagedhaircellsincreases,yourbrainreceives
fewerimpulsestointerpretassound.Whenyoudamagehaircells,youdamagehearing.
Whileasingleexposuretoloudnoisecandamageyourhaircells,itprobablywontdestroy
them.Youmayexperienceringinginyourearsandsomesoundsmaybemuffled,butyourhair
cellswillrecoverandsowillyourhearing.Thisiscalledatemporarythresholdshift.But
repeatedexposurestoloudnoisecandamagehaircellstothepointthattheywontrecover.
Becausethedamageispermanent,theresultiscalledapermanentthresholdshift.No
treatmentwillrestoreit.Whenyoudestroyhaircells,youdestroyhearing.
How to know if your hearing is damaged

Hearinglossispainlessandgradual.Itusuallydevelopsoverseveralyearsyoumightnot
evennoticethelossduringthoseyears.
Sometimes,overexposuretoloudnoisecantriggerringingorothersoundsinyourears,called
Tinnitus.Whiletinnitusmaybeasymptomofdamagedhearing,itcanalsobecausedby
infections,medications,andearwax.
Theonlywaytoknowforsureifnoisehasdamagedyourhearingistohaveahearing
examinationbyacertifiedaudiometrictechnician,audiologist,otolaryngologist,orphysician.
Ifyouansweryestoanyofthefollowingquestions,yourhearingmaybeatrisk:
Doyoufrequentlyaskpeopletorepeatsentences?
Doyoufeelyourhearingisnotasgoodasitwas10yearsago?
Havefamilymembersnoticedaproblemwithyourhearing?
Areyouexposedtoloudnoisewithouthearingprotectionwhereyouwork?
Doyouhavetoshouttoacoworkerbecauseofthenoisearoundyou?
Areyouexposedtonoisefromfirearms,motorcycles,snowmobiles,powertools,or
loudmusicwithouthearingprotection?
Congratulations!Yourefinishedwiththefirstmodule.Dontforgettoreviewthequiz.
Module1Quiz
Usethisquiztoselfcheckyourunderstandingofthemodulecontent.Youcanalsogoonline
andtakethisquizwithinthemodule.Theonlinequizprovidesthecorrectansweronce
submitted.
1. Soundconsistsofpressurechangesinamedium(usuallyair),causedby_____
or_____.
a.
b.
c.
d.
vibration,turbulence
turbulence,noise
vibration,noise
Bothaandb
2. Whatisnoise?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Pressurechanges
Unwantedsound
Decibels
Varyingfrequencies
3. Betweenwhichfrequenciesishumanhearingmostsensitiveto?
a.
b.
c.
d.
1,000and5,000Hz
3,000and8,000Hz
1,000and2,000Hz
3,000and4,000Hz
4. Whatarethetwofactorsthatdeterminetheamountofhearinglossaperson
experienceswhenexposedtoloudnoises?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Decibelsandfrequency
dBAandAweightedsoundlevels
Intensityandduration
Soundandnoise
5. Sometimes,overexposuretoloudnoisecantriggerringingorothersoundsin
yourears,called_____.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Audiotis
Ringitis
Frunitus
Tinnitus
Module 2: Evaluating Exposures

Warning Signs of Hazardous Workplace Noise
Noisemaybeaprobleminyourworkplaceif:
Youhearringingorhumminginyourearswhen
youleavework.
Youhavetoshouttobeheardbyacoworkeran
arm'slengthaway.
Youexperiencetemporaryhearinglosswhen
leavingwork.
Noiseinducedhearinglosscandeveloprapidlyinworkers
exposedtorelativelyhighnoiselevelsonadailybasis.
How to evaluate Noise exposure?

Thefirststeptowardsolvinganynoiseproblemisto
defineit.Tounderstandwhatrequirementsmustbe
implementedaccordingtoOSHA'snoisestandard,itis
necessarytodetermineexposurelevels.Thefollowing
sectionsprovideinformationaboutevaluatingnoise
exposurelevels:
IndicationsofaProblem
WalkaroundSurvey
WorkshiftSampling
InstrumentsUsedtoConductaNoiseSurvey
Indications of a Problem
Therearevariousfactorsthatmayindicatenoiseisaproblemintheworkplace.Whilepeople
reactdifferentlytonoise,subjectiveresponsesshouldnotbeignoredbecausetheymay
providewarningsthatnoisemaybeatunacceptablelevels.
Noisyconditionscanmakenormalconversationdifficult.
Whennoiselevelsareabove80decibels(dB),peoplehavetospeakveryloudly.
Whennoiselevelsarebetween85and90dB,peoplehavetoshout.
Whennoiselevelsaregreaterthan95dB,peoplehavetomoveclosetogethertoheareach
otheratall.
Walk around survey

Awalkaroundsurveyshouldbeperformedtoscreenfornoiseexposuresandtodetermineif
additionalmonitoringisnecessary.Whenscreeningfornoiseexposures,soundlevelmeter
measurementsandestimatesofthedurationofexposurearesufficient.Theresultingspot
readingscanbeusedtodeterminetheneedforamorethoroughevaluation.Thefollowing
generalapproachmaybefollowed:
1. Tourthefacilityanddevelopadetailedunderstandingoffacilityoperationsand
potentialnoisesources.Makenotesonadiagramofthefloorplanifpossible.Lookfor
indicationsthatnoisemaybeaproblem.
2. Useasoundlevelmetertotakespotreadingsofoperationsthatareinquestion.Itmay
beusefultomarkthesoundlevelsonadiagramofthefloorplan.Makenotesregarding
whatequipmentisonoroff.
3. Estimateexposuresbyidentifyingworkersandtheirlocations,andestimatethelength
oftimetheyspendindifferentareasorhowlongtheyoperateparticularequipmentor
tools.
Iftheresultsofthewalkaroundsurveyindicatetimeweightedaverage(TWA)exposuresof80
dBAormore,thenadditionalnoisemonitoringshouldbeperformed.
Workshift Sampling
Whentheresultsofthewalkaroundsurveyindicatethatthenoiselevelsmayexceedthose
outlinedinOSHA'snoisestandard,additionalmonitoringisnecessary.Establishasampling
protocolforyourworkplace.Ageneralprotocolisprovidedasanexample.
Followthissamplingprotocol:
1. Informtheemployeebeingmonitoredthatthedosimeter(noisesamplingequipment)
shouldnotinterferewithhis/hernormalduties,andemphasizethattheemployee
shouldcontinuetoworkasusual.
2. Explainthepurposeofthedosimetertoeachemployeebeingsampledandemphasize
thatthedosimeterisnotaspeechrecordingdevice.
3. Instructtheemployeebeingsamplednottoremovethedosimeterunlessabsolutely
necessaryandnottocoverthemicrophonewithacoatoroutergarmentormoveit
fromitsinstalledposition.Informtheemployeewhenandwherethedosimeterwillbe
removed.
4. Themicrophoneshouldbelocatedintheemployee'shearingzone.OSHAdefinesthe
hearingzoneasaspherewithatwofootdiametersurroundingthehead.Clipthe
microphonetotheemployee'sclothingaccordingtothemanufacturer'sinstructions.
Mostmanufacturersrecommendthatthemicrophonebeplacedontheshoulderarea
midwaybetweentheheadandthepointoftheshoulder.Practicalityandsafetywill
dictatetheactualmicrophoneplacementateachsurveylocation.
5. Usethemicrophonewindscreentoprotectthemicrophonewhentheweareris
outdoorsorindustyordirtyareas(thewindscreenwillnotprotectthemicrophone
fromrainorextremehumidity).
6. Whennoiselevelsaredifferentateachoftheemployeesears,thehigherlevelmustbe
sampled.
7. Positionandsecureanyexcessmicrophonecabletoavoidsnaggingorinconvenienceto
theemployee.Ifpractical,thecordshouldberunundertheemployee'sshirtorcoat.
8. Checkthedosimeterperiodicallytoensurethemicrophoneisproperlyoriented.
9. Obtainandnotesoundlevelmeterreadingsduringdifferentphasesofworkthe
employeeperformsduringtheshift.Thereisnominimumregardingthenumberof
readingstoobtain,butitisimportanttotakeenoughreadingstoidentifyworkcycles.
Forstatisticalreasons,morereadingsshouldbetakenwhennoiselevelsfluctuate
widely.
10. RecordtheinformationrequiredontheOSHA92NoiseSurveyReport.
Noise Survey Instruments
Sound Level Meter
Therearevariousfactorsthatmayindicatenoiseisaproblemintheworkplace.Whilepeople
reactdifferentlytonoise,subjectiveresponsesshouldnotbeignoredbecausetheymay
providewarningsthatnoisemaybeatunacceptablelevels.Asoundlevelmeter(SLM)isthe
basicinstrumentforinvestigatingnoiselevels.
Forcompliancepurposes,readingswithanANSIType2soundlevelmeteranddosimeterare
consideredtohaveanaccuracyof2dBAwhileaType1instrumenthasanaccuracyof1dBA.
Soundlevelmeterscanbeusedto:
Spotchecknoisedosimeterperformance.
Determinetheemployee'snoisedosewheneveruseofanoise
dosimeterisunavailableorinappropriate.
Identifyandevaluateindividualnoisesourcesforabatement
purposes.
Aidindeterminingthefeasibilityofengineeringcontrolsforindividual
noisesources.
Evaluatehearingprotectors.
PleaserefertoAppendixAifyouwouldliketolearnmoreaboutthe
considerationsofuseforsoundlevelmeters.
Dosimeter
Likeasoundlevelmeter,anoisedosimetercanalsomeasuresound
levels.However,thedosimeterisactuallywornbytheemployeein
ordertodeterminethepersonalnoisedoseduringtheworkshiftor
samplingperiod.AccordingtoOSHA'snoisestandard,thenoisedosimeteristheprimary
instrumentformakingcompliancemeasurements.
Dosimeterscanbeusedto:
MakecompliancemeasurementsaccordingtoOSHA'snoisestandard.
Measuretheemployee'sexposuretonoiseandautomaticallycomputethenecessary
noisedosecalculations.
PleaserefertoAppendixBifyouwouldliketolearnmoreabouttheconsiderationsofusefor
adosimeter.
Employees Wearing Headsets are at Risk
Noiseoverexposureintheworkplacecanoccurwhereemployeeswearacommunications
headsetaspartoftheiremployment.Clericalpersonnel,aircraftpilotsandothercockpit
personnel,airtrafficcontrollers,emergencypersonnel,reservationclerks,receptionists,and
telephoneoperatorsarejustafewexamplesofthemorethanthreemillionworkerswhocan
beexposedtohighnoiselevelsviacommunication'sheadsets.
Goodjob!Anothermoduledownandsevenmoretogo
Module2Quiz
submitted.
1. Thefirststeptowardsolvinganynoiseproblemisto_____it.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Define
Neglect
Ignore
Avoid
2. ANSIType2metershaveanaccuracyof_____.
a. 1dBA
b. 2dBA
c. 3dBA
d. 4dBA
3. AccordingtoOSHAsnoisestandard29CFR1910.95,the_____istheprimary
instrumentformakingcompliancemeasurements.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Noisedosimeter
AcousticLimitedDevices
OctaveBandAnalyzers
AudioEqualizer
4. Canoverexposuretonoiseintheworkplaceoccurwhereemployeesweara
communicationsheadset?
a. Yes
b. No
5. Whenmaynoisebeaprobleminyourworkplace?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Youhearringingorhumminginyourearswhenyouleavework.
Youhavetoshouttobeheardbyacoworkeranarm'slengthaway.
Youexperiencetemporaryhearinglosswhenleavingwork.
Alloftheabove
Module 3: Reducing Noise Related Hazards

Introduction
Noisecontrolstrategiesarethefirstlineofdefenseagainstexcessivenoiseexposure.Theuse
ofthesecontrolsshouldaimtoreducethehazardousexposuretothepointwheretheriskto
hearingiseliminatedorminimized.Withthereductionofevenafewdecibels,thehazardto
hearingisreduced,communicationisimproved,andnoiserelatedannoyanceisreduced.There
areseveralwaystocontrolandreduceworkerexposuretonoiseintheworkplace.
Engineering and Administrative Controls
Engineeringandadministrativecontrolstrategiesareessentialtoachievinganeffective
hearingconservationandhearingconservationprogram.Engineeringandadministrative
controlsrepresentthefirsttwoprimarystrategiesintheHierarchyofControls:
1. removethehazardthroughengineeringstrategies,and
2. removetheexposurethroughadministrativestrategies.
Theuseofthesecontrolsshouldreducehazardousexposuretothepointwheretheriskto
hearingiseliminatedoratleastmoremanageable.
Engineering controls
Engineeringcontrolsthatreducesoundexposurelevelsareavailableandtechnologically
feasibleformostnoisesources.Engineeringcontrolsinvolvemodifyingorreplacingequipment,
ormakingrelatedphysicalchangesatthenoisesourceoralongthetransmissionpathtoreduce
thenoiselevelattheworker'sear.Insomeinstances,theapplicationofarelativelysimple
engineeringnoisecontrolsolutionreducesthenoisehazardtotheextentthatfurther
requirementsoftheOSHANoisestandard(e.g.,audiometrictesting(hearingtests),hearing
conservationprogram,provisionofhearingprotectors,etc)arenotnecessary.Examplesof
inexpensive,effectiveengineeringcontrolsincludesomeofthefollowing:
Chooselownoisetoolsandmachinery(e.g.,BuyQuietRoadmap(NASA)).
Maintainandlubricatemachineryandequipment(e.g.,oilbearings).
Placeabarrierbetweenthenoisesourceandemployee(e.g.,soundwallsorcurtains).
Encloseorisolatethenoisesource.
Examples of Engineering Controls
Forhearinglosspreventionpurposes,engineeringcontrolsaredefinedasanymodificationor
replacementofequipment,orrelatedphysicalchangeatthenoisesourceoralongthe
transmissionpath(withtheexceptionofhearingprotectors)thatreducesthenoiselevelatthe
employee'sear.
Typicalengineeringcontrolsinvolve:
1.Reducingnoiseatthesource.
2.Interruptingthenoisepath.
3.Reducingreverberation.
4.Reducingstructurebornevibration.
Commonexamplesoftheimplementationofsuchcontrolsare:
1.Installingamuffler.
2.Erectingacousticalenclosuresandbarriers.
3.Installingsoundabsorbingmaterial.
4.Installingvibrationmountsandprovidingproperlubrication.
Assessingtheapplicabilityofengineeringcontrolsisasophisticatedprocess.
First,thenoiseproblemmustbedefined.Thisnecessitatesmeasuringthenoiselevels
anddevelopingcompleteinformationonemployeenoiseexposureandtheneedfor
noisereduction.
Next,anapproachtoengineeringcontrolmustbedeveloped,requiringthe
identificationofindividualnoisesourcesandassessmentoftheircontributionstothe
overallnoiselevels.
Whenchoosingthemostapplicableengineeringcontrols,youwillneedtoconsiderthecostof
purchasing,operating,servicing,andmaintainingthecontrol.Forthisreason,engineering,
safety,andindustrialhygienepersonnel,aswellasemployeeswhooperate,service,and
maintainequipment,mustbeinvolvedinthenoisecontrolplan.
Employeeswhoworkwiththeequipmentonadailybasiswillbeabletoprovidevaluable
guidanceonsuchimportantmattersasthepositioningofmonitoringindicatorsandpanels,
lubricationandservicingpoints,controlswitches,andtheproperlocationofaccessdoorsfor
operationandmaintenance.
Insituationswhereemployeeswillbeworkingonoraroundequipmentfittedwithengineering
controls,itisimportanttoexplaintoeveryoneinvolvedwhythecontrolsshouldnotbe
modified,removed,orotherwisedefeated.
Administrative Controls
Administrativecontrolsarechangesintheworkplacethatreduceoreliminateworker
exposuretonoise,examplesinclude:
Operatingnoisymachinesduringshiftswhenfewerpeopleareexposed.
Limitingtheamountoftimeapersonspendsatanoisesource.
Providingquietareaswhereworkerscangainrelieffromhazardousnoisesources(e.g.,
constructasoundproofroomwhereworkers'hearingcanrecoverdependingupon
theirindividualnoiselevelanddurationofexposure,andtimespentinthequietarea).
Restrictingworkerpresencetoasuitable
distanceawayfromnoisyequipment.
Controllingnoiseexposurethroughdistance
isoftenaneffective,yetsimpleand
inexpensiveadministrativecontrol.This
controlmaybeapplicablewhenworkersare
presentbutarenotactuallyworkingwitha
noisesourceorequipment.Increasingthe
distancebetweenthenoisesourceandtheworker,reducestheirexposure.Inopen
space,foreverydoublingofthedistancebetweenthesourceofnoiseandtheworker,
thenoiseisdecreasedby6dBA.
Management Responsibilities
Management'sprimaryresponsibilitiesaretomakesurethatpotentiallycontrollablenoise
sourcesareidentified,andthatprioritiesforcontrolsaresetandaccomplished.Forthis
purpose,managementneedstoallocatetheappropriateresourcesandengageoutsideservices
oridentifycapablepersonnelinhouse.
Itisalsomanagement'sresponsibilitytoseethatanychangesofequipmentorprocessare
doneonlyafterevaluationoftheirimpactonemployeenoiseexposure.
Thepurchaseofquieternewequipmentcanbeveryhelpful,butisusuallyaccomplishedonly
withexplicitspecification,andoccasionallysomepressureontheequipmentmanufacturers.
Sometimesthecompanymustbewillingtopaymoreforquieterequipment,butthese
expendituresshouldbecosteffectiveinthelongrun.
Implementingabuyquietprogramcansignificantlyreducetheamountoftimeittakesfor
workplacenoisetonolongerbehazardous.
Oftenanoisecontroleffortmayseemtobeoverwhelming.Asaresult,thecompanymay
decidethatnoisecontrolisnotfeasibleandinsteadrelyonhearinglosspreventionmeasuresto
preventhearingloss.However,ifnoisesourcesaretakenononeatatime,dealingwiththe
noisiestoreasiesttoquietsourcesfirst,theproblemcanbecomemanageableovertimesothat
hearinglosspreventionmeasureswillbeneededonlyuntilthenoiseisreducedtoasafelevel.
Manytimestwohazardscanbereducedoreliminatedatoncesuchasinthecaseofenclosinga
noisymachinethatgenerateshighheatlevelsaswell.Theenclosurecantrapthenoiseandthe
heatcanbeventedofftotheoutside.
Managersmayneedtocommitresourcesforinhousedevelopmentoftechnologytocontrol
exposureproblemsspecifictotheircompaniesandprocesses.Insomecases,theymayneedto
budgetformaintenanceofexposurecontroldevicestopreventtheirdeteriorationovertime.
Finally,theyshouldmakesurethatlunchandbreakareasareasfreefromnoisehazardsas
reasonablypossible,andthatotheravenuesofadministrativecontrolshavebeenexplored.
Employee Responsibilities
Employeeswhooperateormaintainandrepairtheequipmentareoftentheoneswhoknow
mostabouttheprocessesinvolved,theyneedtoexpresstheirconcernsandideasto
management,theprogramimplementer,orthenoisecontrolengineersothatthenoise
controldeviceswillbeaspracticalandeffectiveaspossible.Employeeassistanceisespecially
criticaltothesuccessofengineeringnoisesurveyswheresoundsourceswithinaworkprocess
orapieceofequipmentneedtobeevaluated,andonlytheemployeeknowstheproper
operationoftheequipment.Employeesalsoneedtocooperatebymaintainingtheirnormal
workroutinewhenaskedtoweardosimeters,sothattheresultswillberepresentativeoftheir
actualexposures.
Soundlevelsoftenincreasewhenequipmentbeginstowearorfailstoreceiveappropriate
maintenance.Also,changesinequipmentplacementmaycauseunintendedeffectsonsound
levels.Whenemployeesnoticesuchchanges,theyneedtoinformthesupervisorypersonnelor
theprogramimplementerthatachangehasoccurred.Aresurveywillbeneededtoevaluate
thenewsoundlevelsandemployeeexposureswheneverequipmentorproductionchanges
occur.
Employeesalsohavetheresponsibilityoflearningtooperatetheirmachineswiththenoise
controlsinplace,ofmaintainingthecontrolsproperly,andofnotifyingtheappropriate
personnelwhenadditionalmaintenanceisneeded.
Greatwork!Thatstheendofmodulethree,goodluckonthequiz.
Module3Quiz
submitted.
1. Typicalengineeringcontrolsinvolveallofthefollowingexcept_____.
a.
b.
c.
d.
reducingnoiseatthesource
interruptingthenoisepath
reducingreverberation
redesignoftheequipment
2. Insituationswhereemployeeswillbeworkingonoraroundequipmentfitted
withengineeringcontrols,itisimportanttoexplaintoeveryoneinvolvedwhy
thecontrolsshouldnotbemodified,removed,orotherwisedefeated?
a. True
b. False
3. Whatareadministrativecontrols?
a. Changesintheworkplacethatreplaceequipment.
b. Changesintheworkplacethatincreasetheworkerexposuretonoise.
c. Changesintheworkplacethatreduceoreliminatetheworkerexposureto
noise.
d. Changesintheworkplacethatmodifyequipment.
4. WhichofthechoicesbelowareexamplesofAdministrativecontrols?
a.Providequietareasforworkers
b.Restrictworkerstoasuitabledistanceawayfromnoise
c.Interruptingthenoisepath
d.Bothaandb
e.Alloftheabove
5. _____and_____controlsrepresentthefirsttwoprimarystrategiesinthe
HierarchyofControls.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Engineeringandmanagement
Engineeringandadministrative
Administrativeandmanagement
Managementandemployee
Module 4: Hearing Conservation Programs

Introduction
Hearingconservationprogramsstrivetopreventinitialoccupationalhearingloss,preserveand
protectremaininghearing,andequipworkerswiththeknowledgeandhearingprotection
devicesnecessarytosafeguardthemselves.Employersarerequiredtomeasurenoiselevels;
providefreeannualhearingexams,hearingprotection,andtraining;andconductevaluations
oftheadequacyofthehearingprotectorsinuse(unlesschangesmadetotools,equipment,
andschedulesresultinworkernoiseexposurelevelsthatarelessthanthe85dBA).Research
indicatesthatworkplaceswithappropriateandeffectivehearingconservationprogramshave
higherlevelsofworkerproductivityandalowerincidenceofabsenteeism.
What constitutes an effective hearing conservation program?
Aneffectivehearingconservationprogramcanpreventhearingloss,improveemployeemorale
andageneralfeelingofwellbeing,increasequalityofproduction,andreducetheincidenceof
stressrelateddisease.
Theemployershouldadministeracontinuing,effectivehearingconservationprogram
wheneveremployeenoiseexposuresareatoraboveaneighthourtimeweightedaverage
(TWA)of85dBAor,equivalently,adoseof50percent.
Program Elements
AsdetailedinOSHAs1910.95rule,theelementsofaneffectivehearingconservationprogram
are:
MonitoringProgram
AudiometricTestingProgram
HearingProtectionDevices(HPDs)
EmployeeTrainingandEducation
Recordkeeping
Therearealsospecifichearingconservationprogramrequirementsforagricultural,maritime,
andconstructionworksites.
Monitoring Program
Theemployermustdevelopandimplementamonitoringprogramwheneverinformation
indicatesthatanyemployee'sexposuremayequalorexceedtheactionlevel.
Thesamplingstrategymustbedesignedtoidentifyallemployeesforinclusioninthe
hearingconservationprogram,andenabletheproperselectionofhearingprotectors.
Themonitoringrequirementisperformancebased,asitallowsemployerstochoosea
monitoringmethodthatbestsuitseachindividualworksituation.Eitherpersonalor
areamonitoringmaybeused.
Iftherearecircumstancesthatmaymakeareamonitoringgenerallyinappropriate,suchashigh
workermobility,significantvariationsinsoundlevelorasignificantcomponentofimpulse
noise,thentheemployermustuserepresentativepersonalsamplingunlessitcanbeshown
thatareasamplingproducesequivalentresults.
MeasurementofNoise.Noisemeasurementsmustintegrateallcontinuous,
intermittent,andimpulsivenoiselevelsfrom80to130dBA.
RepeatedMonitoring.Monitoringmustberepeatedwheneverachangeinproduction,
process,equipmentorcontrolsincreasesnoiseexposurestotheextentthatadditional
employeesmaybeexposedatorabovetheactionlevelortheattenuationprovidedby
hearingprotectorsusedbyemployeesmayberenderedinadequatetomeetthe
requirementsdescribedinHearingProtectionDevices(HPDs).
EmployeeNotification.Theemployermustnotifyeachemployeewhoisexposedator
abovetheactionleveloftheresultsofthemonitoring.
ObservationofMonitoring.Theemployermustprovideaffectedemployeesortheir
representativeswithanopportunitytoobservenoisemonitoringprocedures.
Providing Hearing Protection Devices (HPDs) Management Responsibilities

Managementhastwoprimaryresponsibilitiesinensuringthathearingprotectiondevices
protecthearingeffectively:facilitationandenforcement.
Facilitation
Managementfacilitationinvolvesensuringthatprogramimplementersobtainthetypesof
devicestheyneed.Managementcandothisbymakingsuretheprocurementdepartmentdoes
notoverridetheimplementersselections.Employeeparticipationintheselectionofhearing
protectorsshouldbeencouraged.
Managementshouldextenditscommitmenttohearingprotectorsbyrequiringallpersonnel,
includingmanagersandvisitors,towearprotectorsindesignatedareas,andbyencouraging
employeestotakehearingprotectorshometousewheneverengaginginnoisyactivities.
Managementshouldgiveprogramimplementerstheopportunitytopilottesthearing
protectorsonafewemployees.Thiswillgreatlyfacilitatedecisionsrelatingtotheselectionand
ultimateeffectivenessofthesedevices.
Programimplementersshouldalsobegivenresourcesandfacilitiestotrainemployeesinthe
useandcareofhearingprotectors.
Enforcement
Enforcingtheuseofhearingprotectorsismanagement'ssecondvitalresponsibility.
Useofpersonalsafetyequipment,suchashearingprotectors,mustbe
clearlystatedasaconditionofemployment,andmanagementshouldbe
preparedtodealaccordinglywiththosewhoviolatethepolicy.Thosewho
havedecidednottowearhearingprotectioninnoisyareasalsohave
decidednottoworkforthecompany.
Hearing Protection Devices (HPDs) Basic Requirements

Hearingprotectiondevices(HPDs),whichareaformofpersonal
protectionequipment(PPE),areconsideredthelastoptiontocontrol
exposurestonoise.HPDsaregenerallyusedduringthenecessarytimeit
takestoimplementengineeringoradministrativecontrols,orwhensuch
controlsarenotfeasible.
EmployersmustmakeHPDsavailabletoallemployeesexposedatorabovethe
actionlevel.Thesemustbeprovidedatnocosttoemployeesandmustbereplaced
asnecessary.
EmployersmustensurethatHPDsarewornbyemployees:wherefeasible
administrativeandengineeringcontrolsfailtoreducesoundlevelswithinthose
listedinTableG16of29CFR1910.95(i)(2)(ii)(A)andwho
o havenotyethadabaselineaudiogramestablishedor
o haveexperiencedastandardthresholdshift(STS).
HPD Selection and Use
Itisessentialtothesuccessoftheprogramtohavesomeoneresponsiblefortheselectionof
hearingprotectiondevicesandthesupervisionoftheiruse.Theymustbeabletoevaluateand
selectappropriatedevicesforeachemployee,basedonproperfit,theemployee'snoise
exposure,hearingability,communicationneeds,personalpreferencesandotherconstraints
imposedbyjobtasksorworkenvironment.
Noteverypersoncanweareveryhearingprotector.Somepeoplemaybeunabletowear
certaintypesofearplugsbecauseoftheshapeorsizeoftheirearcanals.Becauseofindividual
differencesintheshapesandsizesofheads,somepeoplewillbeunabletowearsome
earmuffs.Individualassessmentofcomfortandabilitytotolerateprolongeduseofagiven
devicecannotbepredictedandwillvarywidelybetweenindividuals.Also,someprotectorsmay
beincompatiblewithdifferingsafetyandprotectivedevices.
Therefore,programimplementersmustmakeavarietyofdevicesavailable.Preferably,
programimplementersshouldmakeavailableasetofdevicesthathavebeenpilottestedfor
effectivenessandemployeeacceptance.
Fitting HPDs
Whenfittinghearingprotectors,attentionneedstobegiventoeachear.Itisnotuncommon
forapersontohaverightandleftearcanalsthataredifferentsizesandmust,therefore,be
fittedwithearplugsthatareseparatelysizedforeachear.Earcanalsshouldbeinspectedto
assurethatnophysicalproblems,suchasinfectionsorexcessiveearwax,willcompromiseor
complicatetheuseofhearingprotectors.
EmployeesmustbegiventheopportunitytoselecttheirHPDsfromasuitablevariety.
Generally,thisshouldincludeaminimumoftwodevices,representativeofatleasttwo
differenttypes.
TheemployermustprovidetrainingintheuseandcareofallHPDsprovidedto
employees.
TheemployermustensureproperinitialfittingofHPDsandsupervisetheircorrectuse.
Programimplementersshouldbealertforcommonpitfallsassociatedwithuseandcareof
hearingprotectors.Forexample,motorcyclehelmets,personalstereoheadsets,swimmer's
earplugs,andhearingaidscannotbesubstitutedforhearingprotectors.Programimplementers
shouldbeproactiveinworkingwithemployeestoavoidsuchpitfalls.
HPD Attenuation
AttenuationreferstothedampingordecreaseofnoiselevelsasaresultofwearingHPDs.
TheemployermustevaluateHPDattenuationforthespecificnoiseenvironmentsin
whichtheHPDwillbeused.
HPDsmustattenuateemployeeexposuretoatleastaneighthourtimeweighted
averageof90dBA.
Foremployeeswhohaveexperiencedastandardthresholdshift(STS),HPDsmust
attenuateexposureatorbelowtheactionlevelof85dBATWA(timeweighted
average).
TheadequacyoftheHPDsmustbereevaluatedwheneveremployeenoiseexposures
increasetotheextentthattheymaynolongerprovideadequateattenuation.The
employermustprovidemoreeffectivehearingprotectorsasnecessary.
EmployerneedstoknowandunderstandthemethodsforestimatingHPDattenuation.
Hearing Protection Labeling

WhenOSHAdisseminateditsHearingConservationAmendmentin1983,itincorporatedthe
EPAlabelingrequirementsforhearingprotectors,whichrequiredmanufacturerstoidentifythe
noisereductioncapabilityofallhearingprotectorsonthehearingprotectorpackage.This
measureisreferredtoasthenoisereductionrating(NRR).Itisalaboratoryderivednumerical
estimateoftheattenuationachievedbytheprotector.Itbecameevidentthattheamountof
protectionuserswerereceivingintheworkplacewiththeprescribedhearingprotectorsdidnot
correlatewiththeattenuationindicatedbytheNRR.
OSHAacknowledgedthatinmostcases,theNRRoverstatedtheprotectionaffordedtoworkers
andrequiredtheapplicationforcertaincircumstancesofasafetyfactorof50%totheNRR,
aboveandbeyondthe7dBsubtractioncalledforwhenusingAweightedmeasurements.For
example,consideraworkerwhoisexposedto98dBAfor8hoursandwhosehearing
protectorshaveanNRRof25dB.Wecanestimatetheworkersresultantexposureusingthe
50%safetyfactor.Theworkersresultantexposureis89dBAinthiscase.
The50%safetyfactoradjustslabeledNRRvaluesforworkplaceconditionsandisusedwhen
consideringwhetherengineeringcontrolsaretobeimplemented.
EstimateddBAexposure=TWA(dBA)[(257)x50%]=89dBA
In1997,ANSIpublishedanewtestmethod(subjectfit)formeasuringtherealearattenuation
ofhearingprotectors(ANSIS12.61997).Thismethodprovidesmorerepresentativeestimates
oftherealworldperformanceofhearingprotectors.Itattemptstobetterapproximatethe
protectionattainedinrealworkplacesbyusinguntrainedsubjectsinthetestmethod(theonly
instructiontheyreceiveistheinstructionthatcomeswiththepackage)tocloselyreplicatereal
worldusers.
Somemanufacturersofhearingprotectorsaretestingtheirproductsaccordingtothesubject
fitmethodofANSIS12.61997.Youmaycontactthemanufacturertorequestsuchdata.
Inthefuture,hearingprotectormanufacturerswhovoluntarilytesttheirproductaccordingto
thesubjectfitmethodmaychoosetopublishtheprotector'sattenuationdata.
Employee Training and Education

Theemployermustinstituteatrainingprogramforallemployeeswithnoiseexposuresator
abovetheactionlevelandensureemployeeparticipation.
Trainingmustberepeatedannuallyforeachemployeeinthehearingconservation
program.[29CFR1910.95(k)(2)]
Informationmustbeupdatedtobeconsistentwithchangesinprotectiveequipment
andworkprocesses.[29CFR1910.95(k)(2)]
Anemployeesfailuretocorrectlyinsertanearplugoradjustanearmuffarearguablythechief
culpritsresponsiblefordiminishedrealworldhearingprotection.Thus,evenifanemployeehas
beenissuedacorrectlysizedhearingprotectorandhasbeentrainedinitsuseandcare,itis
quitepossiblethatheorshecouldreceivelittleornoeffectivehearingprotectionbecauseofa
faultyfit.Employeesmustresolvetoweartheirhearingprotectioncorrectly,ortheywillgreatly
reduceitsabilitytopreventharmfulnoisefromdamagingtheirhearing.
Willfulfailuretowearhearingprotectionshouldbetakenseriously.Employeesshouldconsider
thatmanagementisresponsibleforensuringcompliancewithhealthandsafetyrequirements.
Shouldemployeesfailtoweartheirhearingprotection,managementcanbeheldaccountable
andmaybecitedandpenalizedfornoncompliancewithhealthandsafetyregulations.
Partoftheemployeesresponsibilitytowardwearingtheirhearingprotectoristocultivatea
vigilantattitudeabouthearingprotection.Employeesshouldexpecttheirhearingprotectorsto
sliporworkloseoveraperiodoftime.Throughouttheirworkshift,employeesmust
periodicallychecktoseeiftheyneedtoreadjustorrefittheirprotectorinordertomaintaina
reliablefit.
Hearingprotectorsbreakandbecomeworn.Employeesalsoneedtochecktheirprotector
regularlyandtoseekrepairorreplacementwhenevernecessary.Lastly,theycanhelpeach
otherbyencouragingtheircoworkerstousehearingprotectorsandtoseekhelpwhenthey
haveproblems.
Employeesmustguardagainstacquiringafalsesenseofsafety.Asthediscussionandfiguresin
thissectionhaveillustrated,itiseasytomisusehearingprotectorsandgreatlyreducetheir
effectiveness.EmployeesCANprevailovermosthearinghealthhazardsifthey:1)properly
weartheirhearingprotectors,2)exerciseacommitmenttoweartheirhearingprotectors
consistently,and3)maintaintheirhearingprotectorsbyrepairingorreplacingthemwhen
necessary.
Theemployermustensurethateachemployeeisinformedofthefollowing:
Theeffectsofnoiseonhearing.
Thepurposeofhearingprotectors;advantages,disadvantagesandattenuationof
varioustypes;andinstructionsonselection,fitting,useandcare.
Thepurposeofaudiometrictestingandanexplanationoftestprocedures.
Access to Information and Training Materials

Theemployermust:
Makecopiesofthenoisestandardavailabletoaffectedemployeesortheirrepresentativesand
postacopyintheworkplace.
Provideaffectedemployeeswithanyinformationalmaterialspertainingtothestandardthatare
suppliedtotheemployerbyOSHA.
Provide,uponrequest,allmaterialrelatingtotheemployer'strainingandeducationprogramto
OSHA.
Greatjob!Yourenearlyhalfwaythroughtheprogram
Module4Quiz
submitted.
1. Whatisconsideredthelastoptiontocontrolexposurestonoise?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Hearingprotectiondevices(HPDs)
Engineeringcontrols
Newequipmentwithsoundabsorbingenhancements
Bothbandc
2. Whataremanagementstworolesinensuringthathearingprotectiondevices
protecthearingeffectively?
a.
b.
c.
d.
facilitationandenforcement
disciplineandenforcement
correctiveactionandfacilitation
employeeparticipationandencouragement
3. EmployersmustmakeHPDsavailabletoallemployeesexposedatorabovethe
actionlevel.Thesemustbeprovided_____.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
atnocosttoemployees
mustbereplacedasnecessary
onanannualbasis
Bothaandb
Alloftheabove
4. EmployeesmustbegiventheopportunitytoselecttheirHPDsfromasuitable
variety.Generally,thisshouldincludeaminimumof_____devices,
representativeofatleasttwodifferenttypes.
a.
b.
c.
d.
one
two
three
four
5. Whatistheactionlevelatwhichtheemployermustinstituteatraining
programforallemployeeswithnoiseexposuresandensuretheir
participation?
a.
b.
c.
d.
80dBA
85dBA
90dBA
100dBA
6. Howoftenmusttrainingbecompletedforeachemployeeinthehearing
conservationprogram?
a. annually
b. biannually
c. everysixmonths
d. everytwoyears
7. Theemployermustprovidetraininginthe_____and_____ofallHPDs
providedtoemployees.
a.
b.
c.
d.
care,limitations
use,care
use,limitations
benefits,limitations
8. Theemployermustensuretheproper_____ofHPDsandsupervisetheir
correctuse.
a.
b.
c.
d.
initialfitting
color
safetyrating
Bothbandc
e. Alloftheabove
Module 5: Hearing Conservation Program Benefits

Introduction
Whenacompanyhasaneffectivehearingconservationprogram,everyonewinsthe
employers,theemployees,andthesafetyandhealthprofessionalswhoimplementthe
program.Thiscourseisnotaboutminimalcriteriathatmeetonlytheletterofthelaw.Itis
concernedwithprogramsthatareeffectiveaswellasefficient:thoseoptimizingprogram
elementsthatsucceedinpreventinghearinglossinapracticalandcosteffectivemanner.

The Costs
InWashingtonState,workers'compensationdisabilitysettlementsforhearingrelated
conditionscost$4.8millionin1991(notincludingmedicalcosts).Whenappliedtothenational
workforce,occupationalhearinglosscostsanestimated$242.4millionperyearindisability
alone.
Thisfiguredoesnotincludemedicalcostsorpersonalcostswhichcanincludeapproximately
$1500forahearingaidandaround$300peryearforbatteries.Moreover,workers'
compensationdataisanunderestimateofthetruefrequencyofoccupationalillness,
representingonlythetipoftheiceberg.
InBritishColumbia,inafiveyearperiodfrom1994to1998,theworkers'compensationboard
paid$18millioninpermanentdisabilityawardsto3,207workerssufferinghearingloss.An
additional$36millionwaspaidoutforhearingaids.
Throughtheirhearingconservationprogram,theU.S.Armysaved$504.3millionbyreducing
hearinglossamongcombatarmspersonnelbetween1974and1994.TheDepartmentof
VeteransAffairssaved$220.8millionandtheArmyanadditional$149millionbyreducing
civilianhearinglossbetween1987and1997.
Employer Benefits
Agoodhearingconservationprogramisgoodbusiness.Itpromotesgoodlaborrelations
becauseemployeesknowthatmanagementisconcerned,andthistypeofconcernmay
translatetoimprovedproductivityandproductquality.Indeed,noiseitselfcanhaveanadverse
effectonproductivity.Forcomplexjobsandthoserequiringconcentration,studiesshowthat
greaterefficiencyislinkedtolowernoiselevels.Also,theeaseandaccuracyofcommunication
isimprovedasnoiselevelsarelowered.Thesebenefitsshouldprovetobecosteffectivefor
management.Additionally,thepreventionofhearinglossleadstothepreservationofvaluable
employeeresources.
Studiesofnoisycompaniesthathaveimplementedhearinglossprevention
programsshowreductionsinaccidentrates,illnesses,andlosttime.
Versatility,adaptability,andpromotabilityofemployeesarelikelytobemaintainedwhen
employeesretaingoodhearing.Moralemayalsobenefit,whichshouldleadtogreater
employeesatisfactionandretention.Ofcourse,employerswhotaketheappropriate
preventiveactionnowwillgreatlyreducetheriskoffutureclaims.Aswithothereffective
healthandsafetymeasures,hearingconservationprogramsshouldalsoextendbeyondthe
workplace.
Thecompanythatencouragesemployeestotaketheirearplugshometo
wearduringwoodworking,targetpractice,orothernoisyoffdutyactivities
isreducingthepossibilityofillegitimateworkrelatedclaims,aswellas
educatingtheemployeestotheneedforhearinglosspreventionin
recreationalsettings.
Finally,thecompanythatplacesahighvalueonsafetyandhealthmaintenanceshouldevaluate
theperformanceofmanagersresponsibleforhearingconservationprogramsandrewardthose
whoseprogramssucceedinpreventinghearingloss.Aneffectivehearingconservation
programcostsmoneytoimplement,butthenecessaryinvestmentwillproduceabeneficial
return.
Employee Benefits
Thehearingconservationprogram'smostobviousbenefittoemployeesisthatitsavestheir
hearingandabilitytocommunicate.Becauseoccupationalhearinglosscreepsupslowly,many
individualsareunawareoftheirimpairmentuntilitistoolate.Moreover,occupationalhearing
lossrepresentspermanentdamage,i.e.,itcannotberestoredthroughmedical/surgical
treatment.Agoodhearingconservationprogram,however,canidentifyminorchangesin
hearing,andpreventdeteriorationtothepointwhereitispermanent.Employeeswhohave
laboredfor35or40yearsshouldbeabletoenjoytheirretirement;theyshouldbeableto
socializewithfamilyandfriends,andlistentomusicandthesoundsofnature.
Hearinglossduetonoiseappearsduringthefirstfivetotenyearsofexposure,
soyoungworkersareatmostriskofnoiseinducedhearingloss.
Preventinghearinglossbenefitsemployeesallthroughlife,notjustinretirement,sincethe
abilitytocommunicateiscriticalinallofourinterpersonalrelationships.Whengoodhearingis
aprerequisiteforajob,aneffectivehearingconservationprogramwillenableemployeesto
sustaintheirhearingabilityandthuscontinuetoqualifyforjobs(perhapshigherlevel)that
havesuchrequirements.
Anotherbenefitreportedbyemployeesincompanieswitheffectivehearingconservation
programsisthattheygenerallyfeelbetter;lesstiredandirritable.Theysometimesreportthat
theysleepbetteratnight,andtheyarenolongerbotheredbytemporaryreductionsinhearing
abilityattheendoftheday,orbythetinnitus(ringingintheears)thatoftenaccompaniesthe
developmentofnoiseinducedhearingloss.
Thereisalsoevidencethatlongtermnoiseexposuremaycontributetostressrelateddisease,
especiallycardiovasculardisease.Byreducingnoise,thechancesofotherhealthimpairments
areconsequentlycontrolledandreduced.Noisereductionandmaintenanceofhearing
sensitivitycanbenefitsafetybecauseemployeesarebetterabletocommunicate,andtohear
alarmsandwarningshouts.Goodhearingisessentialformoresubtlewarningsignals,suchasa
malfunctioningmachineorthesoundsof"rooftalk"inundergroundmines.
Insummary,agoodhearingconservationprogramisconsistentwithgoodhealthandgood
business.Ataminimum,employeesbenefitwithgoodhearing.Reductionsinnoiseexposure
mayalsoresultinlessfatigueandirritation,andpossiblyfewerstressrelatedhealth
complaints.Thecompanybenefitsfromreducedworkercompensationpaymentsandmedical
expenses,andareducedlikelihoodofanOSHAcitationforhearingconservationviolations.
Reducednoiseexposuresalsocanbeassociatedwithimprovedemployeemorale,and,insome
cases,higherproductionefficiency.
ThatconcludesmodulefiveKeepitup.
Module5Quiz
submitted.
1. Forcomplexjobsandthoserequiringconcentration,studiesshowthatgreater
efficiencyislinkedto_____.
a.
b.
c.
d.
notusinghearingprotection
highernoiselevels
lowernoiselevels
bothaandb
2. The_____ofemployeesislikelytobemaintainedwhenemployeesretain
goodhearing.
a.
b.
c.
d.
versatility
adaptability
promotability
Alloftheabove
3. Whoismoreatriskofdevelopinghearingloss?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Aworkerexposedtonoisefor1012years.
Aworkerexposedtonoisethefirst510years.
Aworkerexposedtonoisefor1015years.
Noneoftheabove
4. Studiesofnoisycompaniesthathaveimplementedhearingconservation
programsshowreductionsin_____.
a.
b.
c.
d.
accidentrates
illnesses
losttime
Alloftheabove
5. Manyindividualsareunawareoftheirhearingimpairmentuntilitistoolate.
a. True
b. False
6. Howcannoisereductionandthemaintenanceofhearingsensitivitybenefit
thesafetyofemployees?
a. Employeescanfeelslipperysurfaces
b. Employeesareabletohearalarms
c. Employeesareabletosmelldangerousodors
d. Alloftheabove
Module 6: Hearing Conservation: Required Monitoring

Thehearingconservationprogramrequiresemployerstomonitornoiseexposurelevelsina
waythataccuratelyidentifiesemployeesexposedtonoiseatorabove85decibels(dB)
averagedover8workinghours,oran8hourtimeweightedaverage(TWA).
Employersmustmonitorallemployeeswhosenoiseexposureisequivalenttoorgreaterthana
noiseexposurereceivedin8hourswherethenoiselevelisconstantly85dB.
Theexposuremeasurementmustincludeallcontinuous,intermittent,andimpulsivenoise
withinan80dBto130dBrangeandmustbetakenduringatypicalworksituation.
Thisrequirementisperformanceorientedbecauseitallowsemployerstochoosethe
monitoringmethodthatbestsuitseachindividualsituation.
When must the employer repeat monitoring?

Employersmustrepeatmonitoringwheneverchangesinproduction,process,orcontrols
increasenoiseexposure.Thesechangesmaymeanthatmoreemployeesneedtobeincludedin
theprogramorthattheirhearingprotectorsmaynolongerprovideadequateprotection.
What is audiometric testing?

Audiometrictestingmonitorsanemployeeshearingovertime.Italsoprovidesanopportunity
foremployerstoeducateemployeesabouttheirhearingandtheneedtoprotectit.The
employermustestablishandmaintainanaudiometrictestingprogram.
Theimportantelementsoftheprograminclude:
baselineaudiograms
annualaudiograms
training,and
followupprocedures
Employersmustmakeaudiometrictestingavailableatnocosttoallemployeeswhoare
exposedtoanactionlevelof85dBorabove,measuredasan8hourTWA.Theaudiometric
testingprogramfollowupshouldindicatewhethertheemployershearingconservation
programispreventinghearingloss.
Alicensedorcertifiedaudiologist,otolaryngologist,orotherphysicianmustberesponsiblefor
theprogram.Bothprofessionalsandtrainedtechniciansmayconductaudiometrictesting.The
professionalinchargeoftheprogramdoesnothavetobepresentwhenaqualifiedtechnician
conductstests.Theprofessionalsresponsibilitiesinclude:
overseeingtheprogramandtheworkofthetechnicians
reviewingproblemaudiograms,and
determiningwhetherreferralisnecessary.
Theemployeeneedsareferralforfurthertestingwhentestresultsarequestionableorwhen
relatedmedicalproblemsaresuspected.Ifadditionaltestingisnecessaryoriftheemployer
suspectsamedicalpathologyoftheearthatiscausedoraggravatedbywearinghearing
protectors,theemployermustrefertheemployeeforaclinicalaudiologicalevaluation.There
aretwotypesofaudiogramsrequiredinthehearingconservationprogram:baselineand
annualaudiograms.
What is a baseline audiogram?

Thebaselineaudiogramisthereferenceaudiogramagainstwhichfutureaudiogramsare
compared.Employersmustprovidebaselineaudiogramswithin6monthsofanemployeesfirst
exposureatorabovean8hourTWAof85dB.Anexceptionisallowedwhentheemployeruses
amobiletestvanforaudiograms.Intheseinstances,baselineaudiogramsmustbecompleted
within1yearafteranemployeesfirstexposuretoworkplacenoiseatoraboveaTWAof85dB.
Employees,however,mustbefittedwith,issued,andrequiredtowearhearingprotectors
whenevertheyareexposedtonoiselevelsaboveaTWAof85dBforanyperiodexceeding6
monthsaftertheirfirstexposureuntilthebaselineaudiogramisconducted.Employeesshould
notbeexposedtoworkplacenoisefor14hoursbeforethebaselinetestorwearhearing
protectorsduringthistimeperiod.
What are annual audiograms?

Employersmustprovideannualaudiogramswithin1yearofthebaseline.Itisimportanttotest
workershearingannuallytoidentifydeteriorationintheirhearingabilityasearlyaspossible.
Thisenablesemployerstoinitiateprotectivefollowupmeasuresbeforehearingloss
progresses.
Employersmustcompareannualaudiogramstobaselineaudiogramstodeterminewhetherthe
audiogramisvalidandwhethertheemployeehaslosthearingabilityorexperiencedastandard
thresholdshift(STS).AnSTSisanaverageshiftineitherearof10dBormoreat2,000,3,000,
and4,000hertz.
What is an employer required to do following an audiogram evaluation?

TheemployermustfitorrefitanyemployeeshowinganSTSwithadequatehearingprotectors,
showtheemployeehowtousethem,andrequiretheemployeetowearthem.Employersmust
notifyemployeeswithin21daysafterthedeterminationthattheiraudiometrictestresults
showanSTS.
SomeemployeeswithanSTSmayneedfurthertestingiftheprofessionaldeterminesthattheir
testresultsarequestionableoriftheyhaveanearproblemthoughttobecausedoraggravated
bywearinghearingprotectors.Ifthesuspectedmedicalproblemisnotthoughttoberelatedto
wearinghearingprotection,theemployermustadvisetheemployeetoseeaphysician.
IfsubsequentaudiometrictestsshowthattheSTSidentifiedonapreviousaudiogramisnot
persistent,employeeswhoseexposuretonoiseislessthanaTWAof90dBmaystopwearing
hearingprotectors.
Theemployermaysubstituteanannualaudiogramfortheoriginalbaselineaudiogramifthe
professionalsupervisingtheaudiometricprogramdeterminesthattheemployeesSTSis
persistent.Theemployermustretaintheoriginalbaselineaudiogram,however,forthelength
oftheemployeesemployment.Thissubstitutionwillensurethatthesameshiftisnot
repeatedlyidentified.Theprofessionalalsomaydecidetorevisethebaselineaudiogramifthe
employeeshearingimproves.Thiswillensurethatthebaselinereflectsactualhearing
thresholdstotheextentpossible.
When should an employer perform an audiogram?

Formaximumprotectionoftheemployees(andforthatmatter,thecompany),audiograms
shouldbeperformed:
1.duringpreemployment;
2.priortoinitialassignmentinahearinghazardousworkarea;
3.annuallyaslongastheemployeeisassignedtoanoisyjob;
4.atthetimeofreassignmentoutofahearinghazardousjob;and
5.attheterminationofemployment.
Inaddition,itissuggestedthatemployeeswhoarenotexposedbegivenperiodicaudiograms
aspartofthecompany'shealthcareprogram.Theaudiogramsoftheseemployeescanbe
comparedtothoseoftheexposedemployeeswhenevertheoveralleffectivenessofthe
hearingconservationprogramisevaluated.Inanoptimallyeffectiveprogram,thetwo
employeegroupswillshowessentiallythesameamountofaudiometricchange.
When are employees required to wear hearing protectors?

Employeesmustwearhearingprotectors:
foranyperiodexceeding6monthsfromthetimetheyarefirstexposedto8hourTWA
noiselevelsof85dBorabove,untiltheyreceivetheirbaselineaudiogramsifthesetests
aredelayedduetomobiletestvanscheduling;
iftheyhaveincurredstandardthresholdshiftsthatdemonstratetheyaresusceptibleto
noise;and
iftheyareexposedtonoiseoverthepermissibleexposurelimitof90dBoveran8hour
TWA.
Employersshouldprovideemployeeswithaselectionofatleastonevarietyofhearingplugand
onevarietyofhearingmuffs.
Noise Reduction Ratings (NRR)
Hearingprotectorsmustadequatelyreducethenoiselevelforeachemployeeswork
environment.MostemployersusetheNoiseReductionRating(NRR)thatrepresentsthe
protectorsabilitytoreducenoiseunderideallaboratoryconditions.Theemployerthenadjusts
theNRRtoreflectnoisereductionintheactualworkingenvironment.
Standard Threshold Shift (STS)

OSHA'sdefinitionofastandardthresholdshiftisachange,relativetobaseline,of10dBor
moreintheaveragehearinglevelat2000,3000,and4000Hzineitherear.
NIOSHsdefinitionofsignificantthresholdshiftisa15dBchangeatanyofthefrequencies500,
1000,2000,3000,4000,or6000Hz,demonstratedonarepeataudiogramforthesameearand
samefrequency,withtheretestbeingadministeredimmediatelyaftertheaudiogramthat
showedtheshiftascomparedtothebaselineaudiogram.
What Training is required?

Employeetrainingisveryimportant.Workerswhounderstandthereasonsforthehearing
conservationprogramsandtheneedtoprotecttheirhearingwillbemoremotivatedtowear
theirprotectorsandtakeaudiometrictests.
EmployersmusttrainemployeesexposedtoTWAsof85dBandaboveatleastannuallyin:
theeffectsofnoise;
thepurpose,advantages,anddisadvantagesofvarioustypesofhearingprotectors;
theselection,fit,andcareofprotectors;and
thepurposeandproceduresofaudiometrictesting
Thetrainingprogrammaybestructuredinanyformat,withdifferentportionsconductedby
differentindividualsandatdifferenttimes,aslongastherequiredtopicsarecovered.
What exposure and testing records must employers keep?

Employersmustkeepnoiseexposuremeasurementrecordsfor2yearsandmaintainrecordsof
audiometrictestresultsforthedurationoftheaffectedemployeesemployment.Audiometric
testrecordsmustincludetheemployeesnameandjobclassification,date,examinersname,
dateofthelastacousticorexhaustivecalibration,measurementsofthebackgroundsound
pressurelevelsinaudiometrictestrooms,andtheemployeesmostrecentnoiseexposure
measurement.
Employersarerequiredtorecordworkrelatedhearinglosscaseswhenanemployeeshearing
testshowsamarkeddecreaseinoverallhearing.Employerswillbeabletomakeadjustments
forhearinglosscausedbyaging,seektheadviceofaphysicianorlicensedhealthcare
professionaltodetermineifthelossisworkrelated,andperformadditionalhearingteststo
verifythepersistenceofthehearingloss.
Managersshouldsupporttheaudiometricevaluationphasebyallocatingsufficientresources.
Managementmustensureallemployees(evenmobile/itinerantworkers)areincludedinthe
audiometricphase.
Managementmayopttocontractforaudiometricserviceswithanexternalsourcesuchasa
mobiletestingcontractororalocalhearingclinic.Alternatively,managementmaychooseto
purchaseaudiometricequipmentandtrainacompanyemployeetoperformaudiometric
testingonsiteunderthesupervisionofanaudiologistoraqualifiedphysician.Thethirdoption
istocombineinternalandexternalresources.Thechoicedependsuponeconomic
considerationsaswellasthesize,policies,andgeographicallocationofthecompany.If
contractservicesareused,itiscriticallyimportantthatmanagementstillassignresponsibility
foroverseeingthehearingconservationprogramtoakeyonsiteindividual.
Allemployees,notjustthosewiththresholdshifts,shouldreceivepromptwrittensummariesof
theircurrenthearingstatusfromtheprofessionalreviewer.Employeesalsoshouldreceive
summariesoftheirhearingtrendsovertime,alongwithrecommendationsforfurther
evaluationoranyextraprecautionsneeded,suchasmorecarefuluseofhearingprotectors.
Anothermodulecompleted.Goodjob
Module6Quiz
submitted.
1. Employersmustmonitorallemployeeswhosenoiseexposureisequivalentto
orgreaterthananoiseexposurereceivedin8hourswherethenoiselevelis
constantly_____dB.
a.
b.
c.
d.
80
85
88
90
2. Employersmustprovide_____audiogramswithin6monthsofanemployees
firstexposureatorabovean8hourTWAof85dB.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Annual
Baseline
Centerline
Yearly
3. Employersmustprovideannualaudiogramswithin_____year(s)ofthe
baseline.
a.
b.
c.
d.
two
one
three
four
4. Formaximumprotectionoftheemployees(andforthatmatter,thecompany),
audiogramsshouldbeperformedonwhichofthefollowingoccasions?
a. Preemployment.Priortoinitialassignmentinahearinghazardousworkarea.
b. Annually,aslongastheemployeeisassignedtoanoisyjob(atimeweighted
average.
c. Atthetimeofreassignmentoutofahearinghazardousjob,andatthetermination
ofemployment.
d. Alloftheabove
5. NIOSHsdefinitionofsignificantthresholdshiftisa_____dBchangeatanyof
thefrequencies500,1000,2000,3000,4000,or6000Hz,demonstratedona
repeataudiogramforthesameearandsamefrequency,withtheretestbeing
administeredimmediatelyaftertheaudiogramthatshowedtheshiftas
comparedtothebaselineaudiogram.
a.
b.
c.
d.
10
5
15
3
6. Employersmustkeepnoiseexposuremeasurementrecordsfor_____years.
a.
b.
c.
d.
one
two
three
four
Pleasenote:modules79areoptional,thefinalexamonlyincludescoursematerialfrom
modules16.Ifyouwishtodoso,youmaynowproceedtothefinalexambygoingto
www.oshatrain.org
Module 7: Hearing Conservation Program Audit (Optional)

Introduction
Preventingoccupationalhearinglossisacomplexmatter,butitisoftenenteredintowithout
firstassessingtheassetsavailable,theassetsrequired,andtheexpectedoutcomeofthe
program.Beforeanyprogramtopreventhearinglossisputintoplace,orbeforeanychangesin
anexistingprogramaremade,anauditshouldbeperformedonthesystemasitexists.Many
companiesdeclinetoperformanauditbecausetheyeithercantconceiveofaneedforitor
dontrecognizeitsvalueasthefoundationofasuccessfulprogram.Ahearingconservation
programauditshouldbeconsideredasimportanttotheoutcomeoftheprogramasisa
businessplantothesuccessofthecompany.
Program evaluation check list, can serve well.

Itisbesttoperformtheauditfromthetopdown,withadministrativeissuesaddressedfirst.In
theUnitedStates,occupationalsafetyandhealthprogramshistoricallyhavebeendrivenby
regulations.Thus,itisimportanttoassurethattheregulationsforhearingconservation
programsarebeingaddressedbytheprogram.Atthesametime,thereneedstobeacorporate
recognitionthataddressingonlyregulatoryissueswillnotcreateaneffectiveprogram.Good
safetyandhealthpracticesneedtobefollowed.Thecompanypolicymustbedevelopedandall
whoadministerorparticipateintheprogrammustbeawareofthepolicies.
Decisionsneedtobemadeastowhoisresponsibleforprovidingfacilitiesandmaterialsforthe
hearingconservationprogram.Decisionsalsoneedtobemadeaboutwhomtheprogram
implementerorkeypersonwillbeandguidelinesforevaluatingtheeffectivenessofthat
personneedtobeestablished.Theroleofsupervisorsintheprogramshouldbeestablished.If
frontlinesupervisorshavearole,therolemustbedefinedandprocedurestonotify
supervisorsandtrainthemintheirroleshouldbeestablished.
Hazardassessmentsshouldbeaddressedduringtheaudit.Theauditshoulddetermineif
appropriatemeasurementshavebeentaken.Methodsshouldbedevelopedtoevaluatethe
resultsofhazardmeasurement.Whowillnotifyemployeesandhowtheywillbenotifiedofthe
resultsofhazardmeasurementshouldbedetermined.Itisimportanttoidentifythecritical
measurementsthatneedtobetakenandhowoftentheyshouldberepeated.Asystemshould
bedevelopedtoensurethattheresultsofhazardassessmentareincludedintheaffected
employeeshealthrecordsandintoshopfolders.Theprogramimplementershouldalsobe
awareoftheassessmentresults.
Sincethemosteffectivemeansofpreventingoccupationalhearinglossistoremoveorcontrol
thehearinghazards,engineeringandadministrativecontrolsshouldbeevaluatedheavily
duringtheaudit.Hazardcontrolprioritiesshouldbeestablished.Inthelongrun,addressing
hazardsinorderfromgreatesttoleastwill,overtime,removethehazardsfromtheworkplace.
Thecosteffectivenessofengineeringandadministrativecontrolsmustbeconsideredinthe
audit.Whileitmaynotbefeasibletocontrolallofthehazardsatonce,itmaybereasonableto
resolveoneortwosituationsperyearuntilallhavebeenaddressed.Mostcompanieswillnot
havehazardcontrolexpertiseinhouseandwillhavetorelyuponoutsideconsultantsand
contractors.
Provisionsfortheuseofoutsideexpertsmustbeincludedintheaudit.
Monitoringaudiometryandrelatedrecordkeepingarecriticalpartsofthehearingconservation
program.Often,manycompaniesassumethatthisisthesimplestpartoftheprogram,andthey
arewrong.Thetrainingandexperienceofthesupervisoroftheaudiometrictestingprogram
(thisshouldbeanaudiologistoraphysician)areimportant.Itmaybemoreefficienttocontract
outforthetestingandrecordkeepingservices,butitwillbenecessaryforthecompanys
programimplementertobewellversedinthisaspectofthehearingconservationprogram
regardlessofwhoconductsthetesting.
Amongmatterstobeconsideredforaninternallyorexternallymanagedcompanyarequality
oftheaudiograms,accesstoprioraudiogramsbypersonsperforminghearingtesting,training
andcertificationofaudiometrictechnicians,adequacyofthetestingenvironment,methodsfor
determiningchangesinhearingstatus,communicationoftestresultstoemployees,andfollow
upproceduresforthoseemployeesshowingshiftsinhearing.
Regulartestingofemployeeshearingisthemosteffectivemeansofascertainingthathearing
lossisbeingprevented.But,therewillbeemployeeswhosehearingdoeschangefortheworse.
Itmaybecomenecessarytorefertheseemployeesforfurthertestingandevaluation.Theaudit
shouldaddressnolessthanthefollowing:clearreferralpolicies;agreementbetweenthe
companyandconsultingaudiologistsorphysiciansastotheexpectationsfromareferral;
establishmentofmechanismstoensurethatemployeesneedingevaluationortreatment
actuallyreceivetheservice;timelyandaccuratetransmissionofrecordsbetweenthecompany
andtheconsultingaudiologistorphysician;andguidelinesforprovidingevaluationand
treatmentforhearinglossoreardiseasedeterminedtobenotrelatedtohazardexposureat
work.
Thoseemployeesexposedtohazardousnoisewillneedtousehearingprotectors.While
seeminglysimple,thiscanbecomeacomplicatedaspectofthehearingconservationprogram.
Theauditshouldaddressthecriteriafordeterminingwhetherornottheuseofhearing
protectorsisrequired.Typesofhearingprotectionandsourcesshouldbeaddressedandifnot
implementedinapolicy,theperson(s)responsibleformakingthedecisionsshouldbe
identified.
Hearingprotectorsneedmaintenanceandreplacementandhowthatistobeachievedshould
beatopicoftheaudit.Theauditshouldalsoconsiderwhattodoabouttheemployeewho
continuestoshowincreasinghearinglosseventhoughusinghearingprotection.Lastly,the
auditshouldaddresstheemployeewhorefusestousehearingprotectionwhenitisrequiredor
whowishestouseselfprovidedprotection.
Aneffectivehearingconservationprogramensuresthatemployeesandmanagementreceive
trainingandeducationalexperiences.Theauditshouldaddressthefrequencyofthetraining,
howthetrainingisprovided,andwhatthetrainingemphasiswillbe.Forexample,trainingmay
bespacedovertheyearwithsomeofitgivenbyaninstructor,somebyreadingmaterials,
somebyvideotapeorinteractivecomputerprogram,andsomebytheaudiometrictechnician
atthetimeofthehearingtest.
Theauditwillhelpthecompanydeterminetheresourcesneededfortraining,identifyingthose
easilyaccessibleandthosethatmustbeacquired.Plansshouldbemadeinadvancetoevaluate
theeffectivenessofthehearingconservationprogram.Manycompaniesfindthataftera
coupleofyearsofoperatingaprogramtheyhavenoideaiftheireffortsarehavinganyeffect.
Theauditshoulddefinewhatmetricswillbeusedtodetermineiftheprogramissuccessfulor
not.Oncethemetricshavebeenselected,theprogramimplementermustmakesurethatall
datacollectedsupporttheevaluationstrategyselected.
Thehearingconservationprogramauditshouldbereviewedannuallybytheprogram
implementerandappropriatemanagerialpersonnel.Astheprogramgrowsandevolves,the
auditwillprovideamechanismtoforceintoreviewallaspectoftheprogram.Byusingthe
audit,itwillbeunlikelythatanyportionoftheprogramwillrunineffectivelyorincorrectly,
sinceproblemsshouldbeidentifiedsothattheymayberemediatedimmediately.
How does safety and health management system assistance help employers and
employees?
Workinginasafeandhealthfulenvironmentcanstimulateinnovationandcreativityandresult
inincreasedperformanceandhigherproductivity.Thekeytoasafeandhealthfulwork
environmentisacomprehensivesafetyandhealthmanagementsystem.OSHAhaselectronic
complianceassistancetools,oreTools,onitswebsitethatwalkusersthroughthesteps
requiredtodevelopacomprehensivesafetyandhealthprogram.TheeToolsarepostedat
www.osha.gov,andarebasedonguidelinesthatidentifyfourgeneralelementscriticaltoa
successfulsafetyandhealthmanagementsystem:
managementleadershipandemployeeinvolvement;
worksiteanalysis;
hazardpreventionandcontrol;and
safetyandhealthtraining.
Hearing Conservation Program Evaluation Checklist
Trainingandeducation
Failuresordeficienciesinhearingconservationprograms(hearingconservationprograms)can
oftenbetracedtoinadequaciesinthetrainingandeducationofnoiseexposedemployeesand
thosewhoconductelementsoftheprogram.
1. Hastrainingbeenconductedatleastonceayear?
2. Wasthetrainingprovidedbyaqualifiedinstructor?
3. Wasthesuccessofeachtrainingprogramevaluated?
4. Isthecontentrevisedperiodically?
5. Aremanagersandsupervisorsdirectlyinvolved?
6. Areposters,regulations,handouts,andemployeenewslettersusedassupplements?
7. Arepersonalcounselingsessionsconductedforemployeeshavingproblemswithhearing
protectiondevicesorshowinghearingthresholdshifts?
SupervisorInvolvement
Dataindicatesthatemployeeswhorefusetowearhearingprotectorsorwhofailtoshowupfor
hearingtestsfrequentlyworkforsupervisorswhoarenottotallycommittedtothehearing
conservationprograms.
1. Havesupervisorsbeenprovidedwiththeknowledgerequiredtosupervisetheuseandcareof
hearingprotectorsbysubordinates?
2. Dosupervisorswearhearingprotectorsinappropriateareas?
3. Havesupervisorsbeencounseledwhenemployeesresistwearingprotectorsorfailtoshowup
forhearingtests?
4. Aredisciplinaryactionsenforcedwhenemployeesrepeatedlyrefusetowearhearing
protectors?
NoiseMeasurement
Fornoisemeasurementstobeuseful,theyneedtoberelatedtonoiseexposurerisksorthe
prioritizationofnoisecontrolefforts,ratherthanmerelyfiledaway.Inaddition,theresults
needtobecommunicatedtotheappropriatepersonnel,especiallywhenfollowupactionsare
required.
1. Weretheessential/criticalnoisestudiesperformed?
2. Wasthepurposeofeachnoisestudyclearlystated?Havenoiseexposedemployeesbeen
notifiedoftheirexposuresandapprisedofauditoryrisks?
3. Aretheresultsroutinelytransmittedtosupervisorsandotherkeyindividuals?
4. Areresultsenteredintohealth/medicalrecordsofnoiseexposedemployees?
5. Areresultsenteredintoshopfolders?
6. Ifnoisemapsexist,aretheyusedbytheproperstaff?
7. Arenoisemeasurementresultsconsideredwhencontemplatingprocurementofnew
equipment?Modifyingthefacility?Relocatingemployees?
8. Havetherebeenchangesinareas,equipment,orprocessesthathavealterednoiseexposure?
Havefollowupnoisemeasurementsbeenconducted?
9. Areappropriatestepstakentoinclude(orexclude)employeesinthehearingconservation
programswhoseexposureshavechangedsignificantly?
Engineering and Administrative Controls

Controllingnoisebyengineeringandadministrativemethodsisoftenthemosteffectivemeans
ofreducingoreliminatingthehazard.Insomecasesengineeringcontrolswillremove
requirementsforothercomponentsoftheprogram,suchasaudiometrictestingandtheuseof
hearingprotectors.
1. Havenoisecontrolneedsbeenprioritized?
2. Hasthecosteffectivenessofvariousoptionsbeenaddressed?
3. Areemployeesandsupervisorsapprisedofplansfornoisecontrolmeasures?Arethey
consultedonvariousapproaches?
4. Willinhouseresourcesoroutsideconsultantsperformthework?
5. Haveemployeesandsupervisorsbeencounseledontheoperationandmaintenanceofnoise
controldevices?
6. Arenoisecontrolprojectsmonitoredtoensuretimelycompletion?
7. Hasthefullpotentialforadministrativecontrolsbeenevaluated?Arenoisyprocesses
conductedduringshiftswithfeweremployees?Doemployeeshavesoundtreatedlunchor
breakareas?
MonitoringAudiometryandRecordKeeping
Theskillsofaudiometrictechnicians,thestatusoftheaudiometer,andthequalityof
audiometrictestrecordsarecrucialtohearingconservationprogramsuccess.Useful
informationmaybegatheredfromtheaudiometricrecordsaswellasfromthosewhoactually
administerthetests.
1. Hastheaudiometrictechnicianbeenadequatelytrained,certified,andrecertifiedasnecessary?
2. Doonthejobobservationsofthetechniciansindicatethattheyperformathoroughandvalid
audiometrictest,instructandconsulttheemployeeeffectively,andkeepappropriaterecords?
3. Arerecordscomplete?
4. Arefollowupactionsdocumented?
5. Arehearingthresholdlevelsreasonablyconsistentfromtesttotest?Ifnot,arethereasonsfor
inconsistenciesinvestigatedpromptly?
6. AretheannualtestresultscomparedtobaselinetoidentifythepresenceofanOSHAstandard
thresholdshift?
7. Istheannualincidenceofstandardthresholdshiftgreaterthanafewpercent?Ifso,are
problemareaspinpointedandremedialstepstaken?
8. Areaudiometrictrends(deteriorations)beingidentified,bothinindividualsandingroupsof
employees?(NIOSHrecommendsnomorethan5%ofworkersshowing15dBSignificant
ThresholdShift,sameear,andthesamefrequency.)
9. Dorecordsshowthatappropriateaudiometercalibrationprocedureshavebeenfollowed?
10. Istheredocumentationshowingthatthebackgroundsoundlevelsintheaudiometerroom
werelowenoughtopermitvalidtesting?
11. Aretheresultsofaudiometrictestsbeingcommunicatedtosupervisorsandmanagersaswell
astoemployees?
12. Hascorrectiveactionbeentakeniftherateofnoshowsforaudiometrictestappointmentsis
morethanabout5%?
13. AreemployeesincurringSTSnotifiedinwritingwithin21days?(NIOSHrecommendsimmediate
notificationifretestshows15dBSignificantThresholdShift,sameear,andthesame
frequency.)
Referrals
Referralstooutsidesourcesforconsultationortreatmentaresometimesinorder,buttheycan
beanexpensiveelementofthehearingconservationprogram,andshouldnotbeundertaken
unnecessarily.
1. Arereferralproceduresclearlyspecified?
2. Havelettersofagreementbetweenthecompanyandconsultingphysiciansoraudiologists
beenexecuted?
3. Havemechanismsbeenestablishedtoensureemployeesneedingevaluationortreatment
actuallyreceivetheservice(i.e.,transportation,scheduling,andreminders)?
4. Arerecordsproperlytransmittedtothephysicianoraudiologist,andbacktothecompany?
5. Ifmedicaltreatmentisrecommended,doestheemployeeunderstandtheconditionrequiring
treatment,therecommendation,andmethodsforobtainingsuchtreatment?
6. Areemployeesbeingreferredunnecessarily?
Hearing Protection Devices
Whennoisecontrolmeasuresarenotfeasible,oruntilsuchtimeastheyareinstalled,hearing
protectiondevicesaretheonlywaytopreventhazardouslevelsofnoisefromdamagingthe
innerear.Makingsurethesedevicesareworneffectivelyrequirescontinuousattentiononthe
partofsupervisorsandprogramimplementersaswellasnoiseexposedemployees.
1. Arehearingprotectorsmadeavailabletoallemployeeswhosedailyaveragenoiseexposures
are85dBAorabove?(NIOSHrecommendsrequiringHPDuseifnoisesequalorexceed85dBA
regardlessofexposuretime.)
2. Areemployeesgiventheopportunitytoselectfromavarietyofappropriateprotectors?
3. Areemployeesfittedcarefullywithspecialattentiontocomfort?
4. Areemployeesthoroughlytrained,notonlyinitiallybutatleastonceayear?
5. Aretheprotectorscheckedregularlyforwearordefects,andreplacedimmediatelyif
necessary?
6. Ifemployeesusedisposablehearingprotectors,arereplacementsreadilyavailable?
7. Doemployeesunderstandtheappropriatehygienerequirements?
8. Haveanyemployeesdevelopedearinfectionsorirritationsassociatedwiththeuseofhearing
protectors?Arethereanyemployeeswhoareunabletowearthesedevicesbecauseofmedical
conditions?Havetheseconditionsbeentreatedpromptlyandsuccessfully?
9. Havealternativetypesofhearingprotectorsbeenconsideredwhenproblemswithcurrent
devicesareexperienced?
10. Doemployeeswhoincurnoiseinducedhearinglossreceiveintensivecounseling?
11. Arethosewhofitandsupervisethewearingofhearingprotectorscompetenttodealwiththe
manyproblemsthatcanoccur?
12. Doworkerscomplainthatprotectorsinterferewiththeirabilitytodotheirjobs?Dothey
interferewithspokeninstructionsorwarningsignals?Arethesecomplaintsfollowedpromptly
withcounseling,noisecontrol,orothermeasures?
13. Areemployeesencouragedtotaketheirhearingprotectorshomeiftheyengageinnoisynon
occupationalactivities?
14. Arenewtypesoforpotentiallymoreeffectiveprotectorsconsideredastheybecomeavailable?
15. Istheeffectivenessofthehearingprotectorprogramevaluatedregularly?
16. Haveattheearprotectionlevelsbeenevaluatedtoensurethateitheroverorunderprotection
hasbeenadequatelybalancedaccordingtotheanticipatedambientnoiselevels?
17. Iseachhearingprotectoruserrequiredtodemonstratethatheorsheunderstandshowtouse
andcarefortheprotector?Theresultsdocumented?
Administrative
Remainingorganizedandcurrentonadministrativematterswillhelptheprogramrun
smoothly.
1. Havetherebeenanychangesinfederalorstateregulations?Havethehearingconservation
programspoliciesbeenmodifiedtoreflectthesechanges?
2. Arecopiesofcompanypoliciesandguidelinesregardingthehearingconservationprogram
availableintheofficesthatsupportthevariousprogramelements?Arethosewhoimplement
theprogramelementsawareofthesepolicies?Dotheycomply?
3. Arenecessarymaterialsandsuppliesbeingorderedwithaminimumofdelay?
4. Areprocurementofficersoverridingthehearingconservationprogramimplementersrequests
forspecifichearingprotectorsorotherhearinglosspreventionequipment?Ifso,have
correctivestepsbeentaken?
5. Istheperformanceofkeypersonnelevaluatedperiodically?Ifsuchperformanceisfoundtobe
lessthanacceptable,arestepstakentocorrectthesituation?
6. Safety:Hasthefailuretohearwarningshoutsoralarmsbeentiedtoanyaccidentsorinjuries?
Ifso,haveremedialstepsbeentaken?
Modulesevenisfinished.Ontothequiz.Goodluck!
Module7Quiz
submitted.
1. Whichquestiondoestheauditasktohelpdetermineifthesupervisoris
committedtothehearingconservationprogram?
a. Hastrainingbeenconductedatleastonceayear?
b. Dosupervisorswearhearingprotectorsinappropriateareas?
c. AreemployeesincurringSTSnotifiedinwritingwithinatleast21days?
d. Aretheannualtestresultscomparedtobaselinetoidentifythepresenceof
anOSHAstandardthresholdshift?
2. Whichquestiondoestheauditasktohelpdeterminedeficienciesinahearing
conservationprogram?
a. Ifemployeesusedisposablehearingprotectors,arereplacementsreadily
available?
b. Wasthesuccessofeachtrainingprogramevaluated?
c. Arehearingthresholdlevelsreasonablyconsistentfromtesttotest?
d. Areemployeesfittedcarefullywithspecialattentiontocomfort?
3. Selectthegeneralelementscriticaltoasuccessfulsafetyandhealth
managementsystem.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Managementleadershipandemployeeinvolvement
Worksiteanalysis
Hazardpreventionandcontrol,andSafetyandhealthtraining.
Alloftheabove
4. Whataresomeauditquestionsusedinordertoidentifyaccurate
recordkeepingandaudiometrymonitoring?
a. Arehearingthresholdlevelsreasonablyconsistentfromtesttotest?
b. Aretheannualtestresultscomparedtobaselinetoidentifythepresenceof
anOSHAstandardthresholdshift?
c. Aretheresultsofaudiometrictestsbeingcommunicatedtosupervisorsand
managersaswellastoemployees?
d. AreemployeesincurringSTSnotifiedinwritingwithinatleast21days?
e. Alloftheabove
5. Aneffectivehearingconservationprogramensuresthatemployeesand
managementreceive_____and_____experiences.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
educational,costeffective
costeffective,convenient
training,educational
bothaandc
bothbandc
Module 8: Policy Needs (Optional)
Policies Management Must Address

Companypoliciesrelatingtothehearingconservationprogramshouldbecarefullyplannedand
executedtobenefittheaffectedemployeeandtheemployer.Experienceswithsuccessful
hearingconservationprogramsshowcertainpolicyareasthatmanagementneedstoaddressat
thebeginning:
1. Corporateenvironmentshouldpromoteasafetyculturewheretheemployeesareempowered
toprotecttheirownhealthandtofacilitatetheprotectionofthehealthoffellowworkers.
2. Programpoliciesshouldbebasedoneffectivepracticesratherthanonminimumcompliance
withgovernmentregulations.
3. Thehearingconservationprogrammustbeafunctionalpartoftheoverallcompanysafetyand
healthprogram.Itshouldnotbeastandalone,separatelybudgetedoperation.
4. Akeyindividual(referredtoastheprogramimplementerduringthiscourse)shouldhave
ultimateresponsibilityfortheprogram.Thispersonmaynotnecessarilyperformallofthe
functionsofthehearingconservationprogram,butisinchargeoftheoverallprogram.
Experiencewithsuccessfulhearingconservationprogramsshowsthatasingleindividualoften
makesthecrucialdifferencebetweensuccessandfailure.Thispersonisoftenanurseoran
audiometrictechnician,butmaybeasafetyandhealthofficer,asupervisor,oradesignated
employee.Thisprogramimplementeractsastheconscienceandchampionofthehearing
conservationprogram.Heorshefocusestheattentionofbothmanagementandemployeeson
thehearingconservationprogram'spoliciesandensuresthattheytakethenecessarystepsto
implementthem.Theprogramimplementershouldalsohavestatureinthehearing
conservationprogram'sorganizationalchart,withauthoritytomakedecisions,correct
deficiencies,andenforcenecessaryactions.
5. Theprogramimplementershouldworkwithmanagementandemployeestodevelopand
implementhearinglosspreventionplansandpoliciesforaneffectiveprogram.Asateam
leader,theprogramimplementershouldbegiventheauthoritytoestablishhearingloss
preventionprovisionsthatmeetorexceedtheletterandintentofOSHAsnoisecontroland
hearingconservationregulations.
6. Employeeandadministrativecompliancewiththecompany'shearingconservationprogram
policiesandproceduresshouldbeaconditionofemployment.
7. Hearingconservationprogrampoliciesshouldclearlydescribestandardoperatingprocedures
foreachphaseoftheprogram.Specificpolicystatementsshouldbedevelopedforthe
importantelementsoftheprogram.Forexample,itshouldbecompanypolicytorequirethe
participationofallnoiseexposedemployeesintheaudiometricprogramandtorequirethe
consistentandproperwearingofhearingprotectorsinpostedareas,evenifemployeesor
supervisorsareonlypassingthroughtheseareas.Theserequirementsshouldbeconditionsof
employment.Otherimportantpolicystatementsshouldbewrittentocover:
a.
b.
Adoptingaprescribedscheduleformonitoringofemployeenoiseexposure
levelsandotherrisks,includingensuringthatequipmentandpersonnel
trainingareappropriatetothetask.
Counselingofemployeesimmediatelyfollowingeachaudiometrictest,
whetheritistheinitial,annual,retest,thresholdshiftconfirmation,or
terminationexamination.
c.
d.
Determiningtheadequacyandcorrectuseofhearingprotectiondevicesby
onsiteequipmentchecks.
Educating,training,andmotivatingemployeestosupportthecompany's
hearingconservationprogramprovisions;assessingemployeeattitudesand
assessingknowledgegainedfromperiodictraining.
e.
Establishingaprogramofqualityassurancefortheperformanceof
audiometryandmanagementofaudiometricrecords.
f.
Reviewingaudiometricdatatoverifytheeffectivenessofthehearing
conservationprogram.
g.
Encouragingemployeestousecompanyprovidedhearingprotectorsforoff
thejobexposure.
h.
Purchasinghearingprotectors,audiometers,noisemeasuringequipment,and
quietermachinery.Thispolicyshouldaddressthereasonswhytheprogram
implementerresponsibleforthehearingconservationprogram,notthe
purchasingdepartment,shouldhavefinaldecisionaboutanticipated
purchases.
8. Companiesmayhavevaryingneedsforserviceswhichtheycannotundertakewithinhouse
staff.Thesecanincludenoisesurveys,employeeeducation,audiometrictesting,medical
counseling,orthefittingofhearingprotectiondevices.Outsidevendorsorcontractorsshould
beselectedcarefullysotheirservicescomplementtheabilitiesofthecompanystaffand
functionalconductoftheinhouseprogramelements.Vendorsmustunderstandandagreeto
abidebythecompany'shearingconservationprogrampoliciesandstandardsofoperation.On
sitepersonnelmustsupervisecontractorstomakesuretheycarryouttheirobligations.
Regardlessofwhetheroutsidevendorsorcontractorsareused,responsibilityfortheprogram
stayswiththeprogramimplementer.
Companiesthatissueclearlydefinedhearinglosspreventionpolicies,andthenadheretothese
policiesconsistently,willhavesmoothlyrunninghearingconservationprograms.Employees
willbefullyinformed,willcomprehendtheirfunctionalrole,andwillknowwhatisexpectedof
them.Equipmentwillbeappropriate,hearingprotectionwillbeusedbytherightpeopleinthe
rightplaces,andtheprogramelementswillbeimplementedinatimelyfashion.
Setting up training sessions

Managementmustemphasizetheimportanceoftheeducationalphaseofthehearing
conservationprogrambysettingahighpriorityonandrequiringattendanceatregularhearing
losspreventiontrainingsessions.Trainingsessionsshouldbemandatorynotonlyfornoise
exposedemployees,butalsoforthesupervisorsandmanagersresponsiblefornoisyproduction
areas.Amanagershouldparticipateineachemployeetrainingsessiontooutlinecompany
policiesandtoexplainandmodelthecompany'scommitmenttothehearingconservation
program.Thetrainingprogramshouldconsistofmorethanfilmsandpamphlets.Itmustbe
tailoredtothecompany'sparticularhearinglosspreventionneeds,andshouldincludelive
presentationsbyarticulateandknowledgeablespeakersandhandsonpracticesessionswith
hearingprotectors.
Hearinglosspreventionpresentationsshouldbeupdatedandpresentedatleastannuallyor
morefrequentlyifthereisasignificantturnoverinemployees.Inadditiontotrainingsessions
focusedspecificallyonhearinglossprevention,managementshouldalsorequiretheinclusion
ofhearinghealthtopicsinregularlyscheduledgeneralsafetymeetings.Thesegeneralmeetings
maybebrief"reminder"meetingsheldweeklyormonthlythatalsoservetoinformworkers
aboutprogressmadetowardmeetingthegoalsofthecompany'svarioussafetyprograms.In
thisway,hearinghealthwillbecomeanintegratedpartoftheoverallhealthandsafetyclimate
oftheworkplace.
Managementshouldmakesurethatthehearingconservationprogram'sstaff(audiometric
technicians,hearinghazardassessors,noisecontrolexperts,thosewhofitandissuehearing
protectiondevices,andsupervisors)havereceiveddetailedinstructionsinhearingloss
preventionsothattheyarequalifiedtoleademployeetrainingsessionsandcomfortablewith
answeringemployees'questions.Individualswhomakethemainpresentationsintheformal
educationalprogramsmustbecarefullyselectedtoprojectgenuineinterestintheemployees'
welfare,andtheymustbespeakerscapableofgainingtheemployees'attentionandrespect.
Peerscanbeparticularlyinfluential,andshouldbeutilizedwheneverpossible.
Forexample,aseniorworkerwhohassustainedahearinglossmaybewilling
tosharestoriesabouthis/herfrustrationswithcommunicationdifficultiesin
daytodayactivities.
Apowerfultestimonialandbehavioralmodelingfromarespectedcoworkercanbeextremely
effectiveinconvincingotherworkerstoimprovetheirhearinglosspreventionbehaviors.
Theperiodichearinglosspreventiontrainingsessionsarebeststructuredinsmallgroups.Often
groupswillconsistofasupervisorandtheemployeesinthatproductionunit.Becausethese
individualswillhavecommonnoiseexposures,theywillfallunderacommonhearingprotector
policy,andtheyoftenfeelcomfortableenoughwitheachothertoaskquestionsfreelyand
makeconstructivecomments.Managementmustensurethatthequestionsandconcerns
raisedduringeducationalsessionsreceivethoughtfulandpromptfollowup.
Insomesituations,itmaybebesttoarrangeseparateeducationalsessionsforemployeesand
supervisors/managersofnoisydepartments.Thiswillpermiteachgrouptodiscussconcerns
relevanttotheirrespectiveneedsandresponsibilities.However,atsomepoint,representatives
ofbothgroupswillneedtoworktogethertoresolveconcernsandimplementthehearing
conservationprogram.Ifnecessary,aneutralfacilitatorcanbechosentoassistintheprocess
byattendingbothgroups'meetings.Thisfacilitatormightbethecompanyhealthandsafety
professionaloranoutsideconsultanthiredbythecompanytoassistwiththetrainingand
motivationphaseoftheprogram.
Program Implementer Responsibilities

Becausetheprogramimplementerisusuallyresponsibleforplanningtheeducationalsessions,
andinsomeinstances,maybetheappropriatepersontoconductsessions,itisextremely
importantthattheprogramimplementerhavetrainingthatiscurrentandrelevanttothe
hearingconservationprogram.Thetypeoftrainingthattheprogramimplementerwillneedis
oftenavailableatstate,regional,andnationalconferencessponsoredbysafetyorhearing
conservationassociations.
Theprogramimplementershouldplansessionsthatarelimitedincontenttoshort,simple
presentationsofthemostrelevantfacts.Whenstressinghealthpromotingbehaviors(suchas
consistentlywearinghearingprotectionwhileworkinginnoise)researchsuggeststhatthe
focusshouldbeonthereallifelossesemployeesmightexpectiftheydon'tacttoprotecttheir
hearing.Theymightnotbeabletohearchildren'svoices.Theymightnotunderstandspeechat
aparty,enjoymusicandthesoundsofnature,orperceivesoundsthatmayconveyother
criticalinformationsuchasdangerorequipmentmalfunctions.
Anotherusefulapproachmightbetoexplainaudiometricresultssoemployeescanseehow
theirhearingthresholdlevelscomparetothoseofnonnoiseexposedindividualswithnormal
hearingintheirownagegroup.Onceemployeesagreeuponwhytheyneedtoconservetheir
hearingandhowtomonitortheiraudiogramresults,theremainderoftheprogramcanfocus
onhowtoprotecttheirhearingonandoffthejobthroughtheeffectiveuseofhearing
protectiondevicesandgoodmaintenanceofengineeringnoisecontrols.
Theprogramimplementerneedstoensurethatpresenterstailoreducationandmotivation
sessionstoeachparticulargroupofemployeesandtheirsupervisors.Itisimportantto
accuratelydescribethegroup'snoiseexposures,thegroupaudiometricresults,theoptions
availabletothemwithrespecttohearingprotectiondevices,andtheengineeringcontrolsin
placeorplannedfortheirdepartment.Othertopicsmayincludeprogressreportsonthestatus
ofspecificelementsofthehearingconservationprogram,comparisonsofcompanywide
audiometricresults,reportsontheuseofhearingprotectorsbydepartment,andresponsesto
questionsorconcernsexpressedbyemployees.Materialsshouldbeupdatedeveryyear.New
multimediamaterialssuchasinteractivecomputerbasedtrainingmaybeconsideredforuse.
Programimplementersshouldensurethatfilmsandpamphletsareusedonlyassupplementary
reinforcementsforthelivepresentations,neverasthewholeprogram.Wheneverpossible,
handsonactivitieswillfacilitatelearning.Forexample,workerscanbreakintoteamsorsmall
groups,andpartnerscanhelpeachotherpracticefittingvarioustypesofhearingprotectors.
Similarly,workerscouldinitiallybreakintosmallgroupstobrainstormsolutionstoaparticular
noiseproblemintheplant,andthenreconveneasacompletegrouptodiscusstheoptionsand
selectasolutionthatisagreeabletothegroup.Inthistypeofmeeting,theprogram
implementerwouldactasfacilitator;guidingtheworkersthroughthevariouscomponentsof
themeetingandcoordinatingthepresentationofeachgroup'ssuggestions.
Asidefromformaleducationalpresentations,programimplementersshoulduseeverychance
toremindemployeesandsupervisorsoftheimportanceofthehearingconservationprogram
andtheiractiveparticipationinit.Oneofthegreatestopportunitiestoinfluenceemployee
attitudesabouthearinglosspreventionoccursatthetimeoftheannualaudiometrictest,when
theprogramimplementerortechniciancancomparethecurrentthresholdstopastresultsand
checkthefitandconditionofhearingprotectiondevices.Praiseforemployeeswithstable
hearingandcautionsforthosewiththresholdshiftsareeffectiveifthecommentscomefroma
sincereandknowledgeableindividual.
Contrarytotheapproachsuggestedaboveforpromotingpreventionbehaviors,researchhas
suggestedthatwhenfacedwithdetectingahealthproblemthatmayhavealreadyoccurred
(i.e.,discoveringahearingloss),workersmayrespondbestatthistimetohealthmessages
stressingwhattheyhavetogainbyengaginginbehaviorsthatwillpreservetheirremaining
goodhearing.Programimplementersinthissituationshouldstresshowemployeescanactto
maintaintheirabilitytohearmusic,voices,warningsignals,etc.
Ineffectivehearingconservationprograms,theprogramimplementersinteractwithemployees
morethanjustonceayear.Theyaskquestionsandmakecommentsaboutthehearing
conservationprogramwhethermeetingworkersontheplantfloororinthehallsandcafeteria
wherevercontactismade.Thegoalistomakethehearingconservationprogramavisibleand
ongoingconcern.
Rewards and Punishments

Inthepast,ithasbeenverypopulartosuggestthatmanagementshouldrewardworkerswho
weartheirhearingprotectorsandpunishthosewhodonot.Inreality,researchhasnotedthat
managersaresometimesgreatlydisappointedwiththeresultsofthistypeofbehavior
modificationapproach.Sometimesrewardandpunishmentsystemscanfosterdestructive
competitivenessbetweenworkersinagroupaswellasbitteranimositybetweenworkgroups
andthemanagerswhosupervisethem.Specificrewardscanlosetheirappealovertime,
sometimesrequiringmanagementtocontinually"sweetenthepot"tomaintainthedesired
behaviors.
Additionally,managementdesignedrewardsystemscandamageemployeesselfesteemand
intrinsicmotivationforperformingtheirworkwell.Thiscanleadtoloweredproductivity,
decliningqualityofwork,andalackofmotivationtoapplyoneselfinthatworksituation.
Workerswhominimallyfollowtherulesandputintheirtimemayhavesimplydecidedthat
theyhavelittlepersonalresponsibilityfortheircontributiononthejob.Thistypeofapathy
leadstonegativeattitudestowardworkandthehealthprogramsassociatedwithwork,
includinghearinglossprevention.
Thereisagreatamountofliteraturediscussingtheimportanceofanindividual'sperceptionsof
personalcontrolinawidevarietyofsituations.Itsuggeststhatonereasonwhyrewards
sometimesfailtomaintaindesiredbehaviorsisthatworkersperceivethattheyhavelittlereal
controlovertheirworkandthatmanagement'ssystemofdolingoutrewardsandpunishments
controlstheirbehavioronthejobinamanipulativemanner.
Similarly,therearewelldocumentednegativesideeffectsofrelyingonpunishmentto
disciplineworkersforinfractionofsafetyrules.Whilepunishmentmaystopordiscourage
undesirablebehaviorwhenthebehavioriscloselymonitored,itdoesnotdirectlyencourage
desirablebehaviors.Furthermore,inmanysettings,thepunisherisalsotheperson(usuallya
supervisorortheprogramimplementer)whoisresponsibleforadministeringrewards.This
createsadifficultsituationthatmightseriouslydiminishtheeffectivenessofrewards.
Ifanincentivesystemisinplaceordesiredbymanagementandtheworkers,asuccessful
programcanbedevelopedwithcare.Bothmanagementandemployeesshouldagreeon
specificgoalsfortheprogram.Bothgroupsshouldworktogethertochoosetherewardsand
sanctionsthatwillapplytotheprogram.Asmuchaspossible,theaffectedworkersshouldset
upthesystemandenforceit;otherwisemanagementmaydamagethemotivationandmorale
oftheworkerswithinappropriateandunnecessarycontrols.Inthisway,workerscanbe
encouragedtoassumeasmuchresponsibilityasfeasiblefortheirhealthandtheirwork
environment.Theywilllookoutforandpoliceeachother.This"bottomup"approachismore
likelytobuildcamaraderieandgroupcommitmenttosafetythanthetraditional"topdown
managementcenteredapproachesofthepast.
Record Keeping
Recordsquiteoftengettheleastattentionofanyofthehearingconservationprogram's
components.Butaudiometriccomparisons,reportsofhearingprotectoruse,andtheanalysis
ofhazardousexposuremeasurementsallinvolvethekeepingofrecords.Unfortunately,records
areoftenkeptpoorlybecausethereisnoorganizedsysteminplace,andinmanycases,those
responsibleformaintainingtherecordsdonotunderstandtheirvalue.Peopletendtoassume
thatiftheymerelyplacerecordsinafileorenterthemintoacomputer,adequaterecord
keepingproceduresarebeingfollowed.
Manycompanieshavefoundthattheirrecordkeepingsystemwasinadequateatthemoment
accurateinformationwasmostneeded.Thishasoftenoccurredduringtheprocessingof
compensationclaims.Problemscanbeavoidedbyimplementinganeffectiverecordkeeping
system,inwhich:1)managementencouragesthatthesystembekeptactiveandaccessible,2)
hearingconservationprogramimplementersmakesurethatalloftheinformationenteredis
accurateandcomplete,and3)employeesvalidatetheinformation.
Hearingconservationprogramrecordsshouldincludeallitemsforeachphaseoftheprogram:
1)hearinglosspreventionaudit,2)monitoringhearinghazards,3)engineeringand
administrativecontrols,4)audiometricevaluation,5)personalhearingprotectivedevices,6)
educationandmotivation,and7)programevaluation.Eachphasegeneratesitsownformof
records,andtheinformationfromthevariousrecordsmustbeconsideredinordertoevaluate
theeffectivenessofthehearingconservationprogram.
Managementshouldmakeavailablethefacilitiestostorerecordsandshouldprovidesufficient
resourcestoprocessthemquicklyandaccurately.Theformsorcomputerformatusedto
gatherinformationisthefoundationofagoodrecordkeepingsystem.Theseformsshouldbe
designedsothatnecessaryactionsaretriggeredandthendocumented.Ifacompanydoesnot
havetheavailableresourcestodesignahearinglosspreventionrecordkeepingsystem
compatiblewiththegeneralsafetyandhealthrecordsystem,thecompanyshouldturnto
consultantsforassistance.
Becausehearingconservationprogramrecordscanbecomplex,managementshouldseethat
programimplementersarefullytrainedintherecordkeepingsystemanditsfunction.There
shouldbeworkingcopiesofrecordsaswellasarchivedcopies.Ifanoutsidecontractorkeeps
therecords,amethodshouldbeestablishedtoensurethatoriginalrecordsareaccurate,and
arereturnedandenteredintothecompany'sfilesinatimelyfashion.Hearinglossprevention
recordsaremedicalrecordsand,assuch,deservethesamelevelofintegrityandconfidentiality
asothermedicalrecords.Thecompanyneedstomakesurethattheserecordsareaccessible
onlytoprogramimplementers,affectedemployeesortheirdesignatedrepresentatives,and
governmentinspectors.
Increasingly,companiesmaintainalloftheiremployeehealthandsafetyrecordsinacomputer
system.Theuseofcomputerssupportseasyaccessandstorageofdata,providesforautomatic
triggeringofactionsbasedonthedatacontainedintherecords,andgenerateshardcopiesto
bemaintainedasarchives.Prudentmanagerswillseethatoriginalcopiesofrecordspertaining
toindividualaudiometryandhazardexposuremonitoringareretainedinpersonalmedicalor
industrialhygienefolders.Therecordsshouldbemadeavailableatthetimeofaudiometric
testing.
Havingtheaudiogramavailablewillallowaninstantaneouscheckofthenewaudiogramwith
theothersonrecordsothatchecksforthresholdshiftcanbemadeandsothatthereliabilityof
thenewaudiogramcanbeassessed.Havinginformationabouthearinghazardexposure,
hearingprotectoruse,andrelatedinformationavailablewillallowthetestertomakean
accurateandtimelyreporttotheemployeeoftheoutcomeoftheevaluationaswellas
conducttheoneononetrainingthatissoimportanttohearingconservationprogramsuccess.
Whilemanagementmayprovidetherecordkeepingsystemandthenecessaryresources,the
programimplementersmustensurethatthesystemworks.Themostimportantattributesof
aneffectiverecordkeepingsystemarestandardization,maintenance,integration,and
documentation.
Standardizationensurescommonalityandconsistencyofdataandformat.Maintenancekeeps
recordscurrentandaccurate.Integrationoftherecordedinformationallowstheprogram
implementertoassesstheimpactoftheprogramonemployees'hearing.Documentationof
hearingconservationprogramelementspermitsanalysisoflongrangeimplicationssincecause
effectrelationshipsassociatedwithhazardousexposurelevelsonlybecomeevidentovertime.
Programimplementersmaywishtoconsiderthefollowingruleofthumbregardinghowlong
recordsshouldbekept:Keepallrecordsuntilyouleavethenletthenextpersondecidehow
longtokeeptherecords.Morepractically,recordsshouldbekeptforthelengthof
employmentplus30years,justasisstandardpracticewithmedicalrecords.Thus,itis
importantfortheprogramimplementertohaveresourcesforadequaterecordsstorage
facilitiesbetheycomputerbasedorinhardcopies.
Inaddition,aworkinggroupoftheAmericanNationalStandardsInstitutehasdrafted
guidelinesforanalyzingaudiometricdatatoevaluatehearingconservationprogram
effectivenessANSIS12.13,DraftStandardforEvaluatingtheEffectivenessofHearing
ConservationPrograms.Theproceduresofthisstandardaremostusefulindeterminingthat
theaudiometricdataareconsistentandlackmuchvariability;thatthedatabasehasintegrity.If
yeartoyearaudiogramsshowchangesthatareduetopooraudiometryandnottochangesin
hearing,itwillbeimpossibletousetheaudiometricdatatodeterminewhetherornotthe
hearingconservationprogramissuccessful.
Thedomainofhearinglosspreventionembracesmanytechnicaldisciplines:hearingscience,
audiology,industrialhygiene,occupationalhealth,psychology,sociology,electroacoustics,and
mechanicalengineering,tonameafew.Eachoftheseisadynamicspecialty.Withinanyof
thesefields,whatconstituted"standardpractice"onlyafewyearsagoisunlikelytobetoday's
standard.Itfollowsthattoday'sstandardswillalsoevolve.Becausehearinglossprevention
representstheintegrationofmanyvibrantelements,ittoo,mustchange.
Keepgoing.Yourealmostfinished
Module8Quiz
submitted.
1. Inrelationtoahearingconservationprogramwhatkindofcultureshouldacorporate
environmentpromote?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Asafetyculture.
Aproductionbeforesafetyculture.
Anoconsequencesculture.
Amoneybeforesafetyculture.
2. Trainingsessionsshouldbemandatorynotonlyfornoiseexposedemployees,but
alsoforthesupervisorsandmanagersresponsiblefornoisyproductionareas.
a. True
b. False
3. Howoftenshouldhearinglosspreventionpresentationsbeupdatedandpresentedto
employees?
a.
b.
c.
d.
Atleastannually
Everytwoyears
Everythreeyears
Onceeveryotheryear
4. Whatisthebestwayaprogramimplementercanconveyhealthpromotingbehaviors?
a. Focusonthereallifegainsemployersmightexpectiftheyacttoprotecttheir
employeeshearing.
b. Focusonthereallifegainsemployeesmightexpectiftheydon'tacttoprotecttheir
hearing.
c. Focusonthereallifelossesemployeesmightexpectiftheydon'tacttoprotecttheir
hearing.
d. Bothaandb
5. Hearingconservationprogramrecordsshouldincludewhichofthefollowingforeach
phaseoftheprogram?
a. Audit,Monitoring,Engineering,Audiometricevaluation,PPE,Education,Program
evaluation
b. Audit,Monitoring,Engineering,Administrativecontrols,Evaluation,PPE.
c. Audit,Monitoring,Engineering,ProgramEvaluation,PPE,Education.
d. Audit,Monitoring,Education,Engineering,Audiometricevaluation,PPE.
6. Themostimportantattributesofeffectiverecordkeepingsystemsare_____.
a. standardization,maintenance,integration,education
b. maintenance,standardization,integration,documentation
c. integration,standardization,maintenance,managementinvolvement
d. documentation,standardization,integration,education
Module 9: The Future of Hearing Loss Prevention (Optional)
Introduction
Presentapproachesforstoringandretrievinghearinglosspreventionrecordsworkwellin
some,butnotallsituations.Manyworkers(e.g.,constructionworkers)routinelymovefromjob
tojob.Otherworkersmaydoparttimework,workthatismigratoryinnature,orbeself
employed.Traditionalrecordmanagementtechniquesmaybeimpracticalfortheseworkers.
Emerginginformationmanagementhardwareandsoftwarecanprovidesolutionstothe
problemsassociatedwithmanagingtherecordsofamobileormigrantworkforce.Inparticular,
opticalcards,ormemorysticksmaybeusefulindevelopinghearingconservationprogramsthat
servetheseworkers.Historically,suchworkershave,atbest,hadaccesstopersonalhearing
protectivedevices.Perhapsafortunateminoritymayhaveevenreceivedtrainingintheuse
andcareoftheirhearingprotectors.Theyalmostcertainlywouldnothavebeenservedbyan
audiometricmonitoringcomponentofahearingconservationprogram.
Byitsverynature,audiometricmonitoringisalongtermprocess.Recallthatcurrenthearing
conservationprogramsaresitebased;allaspectsoftheprogramstaywiththesite.Ifaworker
leaves,theiraudiometricandnoiseexposurerecordsremainatthesite.Bycontrast,anoptical
cardormemorystickwillbeinthepossessionoftheworker.Whentheworkerchangesjobs,
theworkerwillcarrytheir"records"tothenextjob.Thecontinuityofcareforaworkerwould
beassuredwhethertheyreceivedhearinghealthservicesfromoneormanyoccupational
healthcareproviders.Suchcontinuityofcarewouldmakeitreasonabletoestablishan
audiometricbaselineandmonitorthehearingofamobileormigrantworker.Finally,optical
cardsandmemorystickscanenablethedevelopmentofcreativeapproachesinwhicheither
theworkerormanagementorbothadoptresponsibilityforprocuringaudiometrictestservices.
Holistic Approach: Looking at Factors Other Than Noise

Occupationalhearinglosspreventionhasfocusedalmostentirelyonthepreventionof
disordersduetonoiseexposure.Sincenoisehasbeenoneofthemostwidespread
occupationalhazards,thisattentionhasbeenjustifiable.However,otherfactorsmayaffect
hearingorinteractwithnoise.Manyenvironmentalhazardsareusuallyobservedinwork
environments.Combinedwithotherorganizationalandpsychosocialstressors,theyare
potentiallyhazardoustohealth.Ithasbeenobservedthataworkermaybeexposedtoasmany
asnineconcurrenthazards,andtheaverageworkerisexposedto2to3hazardousagents
simultaneously.Evenconsideringonlychemicals,thenumberofagentsusedandpossible
combinationsissubstantial.Itmaybeinappropriatetorestrictthetermoccupationalhearing
losstoasynonymfornoiseinducedhearingloss,eventhoughthetwotermspreviouslyhave
beenusedassuch.Ototoxic(Damagetotheear(oto),specificallythecochleaorauditory
nerveandsometimesthevestibularsystem,byatoxin.)propertieshavebeenidentifiedamong
atleastthreeclassesofindustrialchemicals:metals,solventsandasphyxiants.Theindication
thatoccupationalchemicalscouldalterauditoryfunctionbyeitherototoxicity,neurotoxicity,or
acombinationofbothprocesses,hasseriousimplications.
Itisplausibletoexpectthatifthesechemicalswerepresentintheworkplaceinsufficientlyhigh
concentrations;thesecouldaffecthearingdespitethelackofoccupationalexposuretonoise.It
isimportantthatthoseinvolvedinhearinglosspreventiontakeintoaccountexposureto
chemicalsduringthevariousphasesoftheprocess(monitoringforhazards,assessinghearing,
controllingexposures).
Currently,ototoxicpropertiesofindustrialchemicalsandinteractionsbetweenthemandnoise
haveonlybeeninvestigatedforaverysmallnumberofsubstances.Thisposesanobstaclefor
theappraisalofrisk.Whenspecificototoxicityinformationisnotavailableonthechemicalin
question,theprogramimplementershouldthengatherinformationontheagent'sgeneral
toxicity,neurotoxicityandcomplaintsfromexposedpopulations.Astheototoxicpropertiesof
chemicalsaremorethoroughlyexplored,itmaybeadvisabletoderivenewhearingdamagerisk
criteriathataddresstheriskassociatedwithexposuretonoiseand/orchemicals.
TaskBased Exposure Assessment

Formanyworkers,(e.g.,thoseintheconstructiontrades)an8hourtimeweightedaverage
(TWA)representsacomplexmixtureofevents.WhiletheTWAisanextremelyusefulmetric,it
maybeoflimiteduseinpredictingtheexposureofworkerswithfrequentlychanging
environmentsand/orwhoperformmultipletasksofvariableduration.TheTaskBased
ExposureAssessmentModel(TBEAM)mayproveusefulindevelopingarationalapproachfor
healthandsafetyprofessionalswhomustdealwiththesetypesofnoiseexposures.TheT
BEAMconceptusesworktasksasthecentralorganizingprincipleforcollectingdescriptive
informationonvariablesusedtoassessthehearinghazardforaworker.TBEAMmethodsare
alsobeingdevelopednotonlytocharacterizehazardousnoise,butalsothehazardsassociated
withoccupationalexposurestoasbestos,lead,silica,andsolvents.
ToapplytheTBEAMprocess,thehazardousagenttobestudiedisfirstidentifiedinthiscase,
noise.Next,"experts"(e.g.,journeymen),whoarefamiliarwiththeprocessesassociatedwitha
givenoccupation,developedalistoftasksassociatedwitheachprocess.Thisbecomesthebasis
forahazardoustaskinventorywhichmaythenbeusedindevelopingapproachesforsurveying
thetasks.Theresultsoftheensuingtasksurveysarethenappliedtowardsdeveloping
interventionstrategies.Asmightbethecasewithtraditionalsurveys,theresultscouldbeused
toprioritizecandidatesforengineeringcontrolsaswellasforassessingtaskswhereengineering
controlshavealreadybeenapplied.BecauseaTBEAMsurveyisfocusedontasksinsteadof
shiftsorareas,thesurveyresultscanbeusedtoprotectworkersfromhazardsassociatedwith
specifictasks.
Example:
Considerthecaseofaworkerwhofrequentlychangesjobsitesandwhosemainnoise
exposurecomesfromtheintermittentuseofpowertoolsormachinery.Assumetheworker's
equipmentproducesa100dB(A)noiselevel.UnderpresentOSHAguidelines,atwohour
cumulativeexposurewouldequatetoa100%dose.Continuingwiththisexample,assumethat
somedaystheworkerusesthisequipmentfortwohoursormore.Ahazardsurveyconducted
onsuchdayswouldidentifythisworkerforinclusioninahearinglosspreventionprogram.A
hazardsurveyconductedonotherdaysmightnot.Insituationssuchasthese,thetaskrather
thantheshiftshouldbethefocusofinterventionstrategies.Thisapproachisconceptually
similartohowotherintermittentnoiseexposuresareaddressed.
Example:
Apoliceofficermayonlybeexposedtohazardousnoiseinthecourseofperiodicweapons
training.Nevertheless,duringweaponstrainingtheofficerisprovidedhearingprotectors,
instructedintheirproperuseandmaywellbeenrolledinanaudiometricmonitoringprogram.
Manymanufacturingoperationsrequirepersonswalkingthroughhazardousnoiseareasto
wearhearingprotectors.Thepointis,asingularfocusonthetimeweightedaverageshould
notbethesolebasisfordecisionsregardinghearinglosspreventionmeasures.Workers
engagedintasksinwhichtheyareroutinelyexposedtohazardousnoiseorototoxicagents
shouldbeincludedinhearinglosspreventionactivities.
Theaboveexamplespointtotheneedforanalternatemethodforuseinsituationswhere
currentdosimetryorareamonitoringmaynotidentifyworkersexposedtohazardousnoise.
Currentstudiesareassessingapproachesfordevelopinghazardoustaskinventoriesfor
individualoccupationsandcraftswithintheconstructionindustry.Tobeeffective,ahazardous
taskinventorymustclassifydistinctivetasks,shouldquantifytimetotaskparameters,andbe
abletoaccountfortheeffectsofadjacentnoise.IfresearchdemonstratesTBEAMmethodsare
effective,hazardoustaskinventory'scanbeusedtoestablishdatabasesrepresentingthe
occupationalhazardsassociatedwithmanytrades.Suchdatabaseswouldenableoneto
characterizeaworker'sexposureprofilewithoutrequiringanindividualhazardassessment
survey.
Although,atleastfornoise,theexposureprofilemaynotbeabletopredictthespecific
exposureforanindividualworker,itstillmaybepossibletocategorizeaworkerashavingno
risk,havingsomerisk,orhavingsubstantialriskofhazardousnoiseexposure.Such
categorizationcouldbeusedtoselectanefficientinterventionstrategybasedonandtailored
tothedegreeofriskpredictedfortheworker.
New Directions in Theories about SelfProtective Behavior

Withawealthofresearchandpublishedinformationavailabletoguidethedevelopmentof
effectivehearingconservationprograms,whydosomeworkersinapparentlyqualityprograms
simplyfailtoprotectthemselves?Inthepast,popularmodelsofhealthbehaviorsuchasthe
HealthBeliefModelandtheTheoryofReasonedActionhavetriedtoexplainthisphenomenon
bytendingtoemphasizecharacteristicsandbeliefsoftheindividualworker.
Forexample,aparticularworkermightholdattitudesorbeliefsthatconflictwiththeprinciples
ofthesafetyprogram,e.g.,"I'mnotsusceptibletonoiseinducedhearingloss,sowhybother
withprotectors"or"Protectorsinterferewithwarningsignals...bettertobedeafthandead!"
Whilestillusefulasintegralpartsofnewermodels,thesepersoncenteredmodelshavenot
adequatelyaddressedmanyotherfactorsnowknowntocontributetosafeworkbehavior.
Newermodelsofhealthbehaviorcurrentlyunderdevelopmentstressinterdisciplinary
viewpointsandmaycontainparametersthatfocusontheinteractionofenvironmental,
psychological,andsocialdeterminantsofbehavior.Socialaspectssuchassharedvaluesand
beliefs,thesocialrelationshipinwhichaspecificbehavioroccurs,andthephysicalcontextof
thebehaviorhavetakenonnewimportance.Inparticular,theissueof"safetyclimate"inthe
workplaceisreceivingrenewedinterest.Safetyclimatecanbebroadlydefinedasthegeneral
levelofsafetyawarenessandcommitmentamongmanagementandworkersinthe
organization.Thesafetyclimateguidesrelevantbehaviorintheworkplacebyservingasa
centralpointofreferencefordecisionmakingbyworkersandmanagementaboutsafety
concerns.
Onerecentreporthasattemptedtoincorporatesafetyclimateintoamodelofemployee
adherencetosafetyprecautions.Inthismodel,organizationalsafetyclimatedependsupon
suchfactorsasexplicitcompanysafetypoliciesandorganizationalattitudesandresponses
towardsafetyconcerns.Workercharacteristics(suchasknowledgeabouthealthrisks),
availabilityofpersonalprotectiveequipmentintheworkarea,provisionofemployeefeedback
withrespecttoadherencetothesafetyprogram,andthesocialandphysicalenvironmentof
theworkplacealsocontributetoworkeradherencetosafetypractices.
Inastudyofmedicalpersonnelandadherencetouniversalprecautions(toprotectagainstHIV
transmission),itwasnotedthatprovidingextensiveknowledgebasedtrainingandadequate
suppliesofpersonalprotectiveequipmentwasnotenoughtoleadtogreateradherenceto
universalprecautions(DeJoy,etal.,1995).Maximaladherencedependeduponestablishingan
organizationalsafetyclimate,embracedbytheworkersaswellasmanagementthatsupported
andfosteredstrictadherencetosafetyprecautions.
Suchaclimatedevelopswhenmanagementandworkerstakeownershipfortheirsafety
program,andtherebyfacilitateandreinforceitsprovisions.Manypriorstudiesdesigned
aroundthehealthbelief/promotionmodelshavenotedthatperceivedbarriersorjob
hindranceshaveastronginfluenceonworkeradherencetosafetyrules.Inthisnewmodel,it
wasreportedthat"Jobhindranceswasthestrongestpredictorofadherencetouniversal
precautions,andsafetyclimatewasthebestpredictorofjobhindrances."
Mosthearinglosspreventionprofessionalsagreethatpassiveprotectionofworkersfrom
hearinglossbyapplyingengineeringcontrolstodiminishhazardsintheworkplaceisa
preferredapproach.However,inmanyoccupationalsettings,protectingtheworkforcefrom
hearinglossandotheroccupationalhazardsultimatelydependsuponpersonalprotective
equipment(e.g.,personalhearingprotectors)andthevoluntaryactionsofthehazardexposed
workers.
Trainingprogramsfortheseworkerswillcontinuetobeveryimportant,buttheexpanding
researchfindingssuggestthatsuchprogramsmayneedtoincludemorethanfactual
presentationsaboutmechanismsinvolvedinhearinglossandhowtoproperlywearpersonal
protectiveequipment.Trainingprogramsinthefuturemayincreasinglyconcentrateon1)
modifyingtheorganizationalclimate,and2)providingworkerswiththeskillsandstrategies
theyneedtotakeresponsibilityformanagingtheirownhealthbycollectivelyuncoveringand
reducingbarrierstosafeworkbehavior.
Congratulations!Youhavecompletedthecourse.Nowwrapupthequizandtakethefinal
examonlineatwww.oshatrain.org
Pleasenote:thefinalexamwillcoverModules16.
Module9Quiz
submitted.
1. WhichofthechoicesbelowisNOTanindustrialchemicalthatcancausehearingloss?
a. Metals
b. Solvents
c. Asphyxiants
d. Heat
2. Itisimportantthatthoseinvolvedinhearinglosspreventiontakeintoaccount
exposuretochemicalswhile_____.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
Monitoringforhazardsandassessinghearing
Assessinghearingandcontrollingexposures
Purchasingearmuffsandearbuds
Bothaandb
Alloftheabove
3. TBEAMsurveysarefocusedon_____insteadofshiftsorareas.
a. tasks
b. adjacentnoise
c. processes
d. safety
4. Personcenteredmodelshavebeenknowntocontributetosafeworkbehavior.
a. True
b. False
5. Thesafetyclimatemodelcanbebroadlydefinedasthegenerallevelof_____
andcommitmentamongmanagementandworkersintheorganization.
a.
b.
c.
d.
employeemorale
safetyawareness
financialsupport
Alloftheabove
Appendix A
SoundLevelMeterConsiderationsforUse
FactorstoconsiderwiththeuseofaSLMinclude:
Whenevaluatingemployeeexposures,placethemicrophoneinthehearingzoneofthe
employeebeingmonitored.
Soundlevelreadingsinanonreverberantenvironmentshouldbetakeninaccordancewiththe
manufacturer'sinstructions.
Specialconsiderationsforuseandcaremayinclude:
Alwayscheckthebatteriespriortouse.Beverycarefulwiththemicrophonecable.Neverkink,
stretch,pinch,orotherwisedamagethecable.
Usethemicrophonewindscreentoprotectthemicrophonewhenthewearerisoutdoorsorin
dustyordirtyareas.(Thewindscreenwillnotprotectthemicrophonefromrainorextreme
humidity.Refertothemanufacturersinstructionswhenusingequipmentinextreme
conditions.)
Neveruseanytypeofcoveringoverthemicrophone(e.g.,plasticbagorplasticwrap)toprotect
itfrommoisture.Suchmaterialswilldistortthenoisepickup,andthereadingswillbeinvalid.
Nevertrytocleanamicrophone,particularlywithcompressedair,sincedamageislikelyto
result.Althoughdirtandexposuretoindustrialenvironmentswilldamagethemicrophones,
regularuseofanacousticalcalibratorwilldetectsuchdamagesothatmicrophonescanbe
replaced.
Removethebatterieswhenthedosimeterwillbestoredformorethan5days.Protect
dosimetersfromextremeheatandhumidity.
Nofieldmaintenanceisrequiredotherthanreplacementofbatteries.
MeasuringImpulse/ImpactSounds
Somemetershavea"peak"and"impulse"responseformeasuringtransientsounds(sounds
thatdecayorpasswithtime).
Thetruepeakvalueisthemaximumvalueofthenoisewaveform.Theimpulsemeasurementis
anintegratedmeasurement.Thetruepeakreadingshouldonlybeusedwhendetermining
compliancewithOSHA's140dBpeaksoundpressurelevel[29CFR1910.95(b)(1)or29CFR
1926.52(e)].
Theusershouldnotuse"impulse"responsewhenmeasuringtruepeaksoundpressurelevels.
ANSIStandards
SoundlevelmetersusedbyOSHAmeettheAmericanNationalStandardsInstitute(ANSI)
StandardS1.41971(R1976)orS1.41983,"SpecificationsforSoundLevelMeters."TheseANSI
standardssetperformanceandaccuracytolerancesaccordingtothreelevelsofprecision:
Types0,1,and2.Type0isusedinlaboratories,Type1isusedforprecisionmeasurementsin
thefield,andType2isusedforgeneralpurposemeasurements.
AType2meteristheminimumrequirementbyOSHAfornoisemeasurements,andis
usuallysufficientforgeneralpurposenoisesurveys.
TheType1meterispreferredforthedesignofcosteffectivenoisecontrols.Forunusual
measurementsituations,refertothemanufacturer'sinstructionsandappropriateANSI
standardsforguidanceininterpretinginstrumentaccuracy.
Useadosimeterwithathresholdof80dBA(Aweightedsoundpressurelevel)and90
dBAtomeasurenoiseexposures.Mostmoderndosimetersusesimultaneous80and90
dBAthresholdsandmaybeusedaccordingly.Additionalinformation(AppIII:A)on
dosimetersisalsoavailable.Adosimeterwithathresholdof80dBAisusedtomeasure
thenoisedoseofthoseemployeesidentifiedduringthewalkaroundsurveyashaving
noiseexposuresthatareincompliancewithTableG16ofOSHA'snoisestandard29CFR
1910.95,butwhoseexposuremayexceedthelevelsspecifiedinTableG16a[29CFR
1910.95AppendixA:NoiseExposureComputation].Inotherwords,the80dBA
thresholdisusedtodeterminecompliancewiththe85dBAtimeweightedaverage
(TWA)actionlevelunderOSHA'snoisestandard.Thedosimeterwithathresholdof90
dBAisusedtomeasurethenoisedoseofthoseemployeesidentifiedduringthewalk
aroundsurveyashavingpotentialnoiseexposuresthatexceedthesoundlevelsinTable
G16[29CFR1910.95]orTableD2[29CFR1926.52].Toputitsimply,the90dBA
thresholdisusedtodeterminecompliancewiththepermissibleexposurelimit(PEL).
Appendix B
DosimeterConsiderationsforUse
Factorstoconsiderwiththeuseofadosimeterinclude:
Themicrophonemustbeplacedintheemployee'shearingzone.OSHAdefinesthe
hearingzoneasaspherewithatwofootdiametersurroundingthehead.Additional
information(AppIII:B)ongeneralsamplingprotocolisalsoavailable.
Selectspecificinstrumentsettingsforthedosimeter.
Settings
AccordingtoOSHA'snoisestandard29CFR1910.95,thenoisedosimeteristheprimary
instrumentformakingcompliancemeasurements.Thefollowingdosimetersettingsmustbe
utilized:
Exchangerate:5decibels(dB)
Frequencyweighting:A
Response:slow
Criterionlevel:90dBA
Threshold:80dBAor90dBA
Adosimeterwithathresholdof80dBAaswellasonewithathresholdof90dBAshouldbe
usedtomeasurenoiseexposures(mostmoderndosimetersutilizesimultaneous80and90dBA
thresholdsettings),asfollows:
The80dBAthresholddosimeterisusedtomeasurethenoisedoseofthoseemployees
identifiedduringthewalkaroundwhoseexposuremayexceedthe85dBAtimeweighted
average(TWA)limit.
The90dBAthresholddosimeterisusedtomeasurethenoisedoseofthoseemployees
identifiedduringthewalkaroundwhoseexposuremayexceedthe90dBApermissibleexposure
level(PEL).
Note:Paragraphs29CFR1910.95(a)and29CFR1910.95(b)ofOSHA'snoisestandarddateback
tothe1969WalshHealeyAct.ThisearlystandardpredatednoisedosimetryandOSHAhadno
instructionsfortakingnoisemeasurements,andsothefirstdosimetersthatweredeveloped
used90dBAbothasthethresholdandcriterionlevels.Paragraph29CFR1910.95(c)ofthe
1983HearingConservationAmendmenttotheOccupationalNoiseExposureStandardrequires
employerstoadministeracontinuing,effectivehearingconservationprogramforallemployees
whosenoiseexposuresequalorexceedan8hourtimeweightedaverage(TWA8)of85dBAor,
equivalently,anoisedosethatisequalto50percentofthePEL.Thestandardrequiresthatall
continuous,intermittent,andimpulsivesoundlevelsfrom80dBto130dBbeincludedinthe
measurementofdose.
DosimeterReadout
Thehypotheticalexposuresituationsshowninthetablebelowillustratetherelationship
betweencriterionlevel,threshold,andexchangerateandshowtheimportanceofusinga
dosimeterwithan80dBAthresholdtocharacterizeanemployee'snoiseexposure.An
instrumentwitha90dBAthresholdwillnotcaptureanynoisebelowthatlevel,andwillthus
giveareadoutof0percenteveniftheemployeebeingmeasuredisactuallybeingexposedto
89dBAforeighthours(equivalentto87percentoftheallowablenoisedoseoveranyeight
hourperiod).
DOSIMETERREADOUT,INPERCENTOFMEASUREDDOSE
Exposureconditions
Dosimeterwiththreshold Dosimeterwiththreshold
setat90dBA
setat80dBA
90dBAfor8hours
100.0%
100.0%
89dBAfor8hours
0.0%
87.0%
85dBAfor8hours
0.0%
50.0%
80dBAfor8hours
0.0%
25.0%
79dBAfor8hours
0.0%
0.0%
90dBAfor4hoursplus80
dBAfor4hours
50.0%
62.5%
dBAfor1hour
87.5%
98.4%
dBAfor6hours
100.0%
165.3%
*Assumes5dBexchangerate,90dBAPEL,idealthresholdactivation,and
continuoussoundlevels.
Somedosimetersindicatewhena115dBA(Aweighteddecibel)soundlevelhasbeen
exceeded.Donotusethisindicationforcompliancedetermination.
UsingtheNoiseDoseReading
Thenoisedoseprovidedbydosimeterscanbeusedtocalculateboththecontinuousequivalent
Aweightedsoundlevel(LA)andtheeighthourTWAforthetimeperiodsampled.
EquationOne:
AweightedSoundLevelCalculation
D
LA=16.61log10
+90
12.5t
EquationTwo:
EightHourTWASoundCalculation
D
TWA=16.61log10
+90
100
LA = thecontinuousequivalentAweightedsoundlevelindecibelsfor
thetimeperiodsampled
D =
dosimeterreadoutinpercentnoisedose
t =
thesamplingtimeinhours
TWA=
theeighthourtimeweightedaverageindecibels(dBA)
EquationTwoisusedforenforcementpurposesandEquationOnecanbeusedtoassistin
evaluatinghearingprotectorsandengineeringcontrols.Note:Mostdosimetersperformthe
abovecalculationandautomaticallyprovidedataforLAandTWA.
NOTE:Ingeneral,forenforcementpurposesa90dBAthresholddosimeterisnecessaryto
establishnoncompliancewithTableG16orTableD2.However,inunusualsituations,results
obtainedwithan80dBAthresholddosimetermaybediscussedwiththeARAforTechnical
SupporttodeterminewhethertheysufficientlydemonstratenoncompliancewithTableG16or
TableD2.
AmericanNationalStandardsInstitute(ANSI)Standards
S1.251991,"SpecificationsforPersonalNoiseDosimeters."Someolderdosimetersonly
meetthe1978versionofthisstandard.The1978versionwasnotintendedformeasuring
noisethatispredominantlyimpulsive.Fornoisethatisimpulsiveinnature,adosimeter
meetingthe1991versionofthestandardisrecommended.
Asaminimum,samplingshouldbeconductedforalengthoftimenecessarytoestablish
whetherexposuresareabovethelimitspermittedbyTableG16,TableG16a,orTableD2
(forgeneralindustryorconstructionworkplaces,respectively).Instrumentaccuracymustbe
takenintoaccount.
Considerthefollowingwithrespecttothemonitoringresults:
o TWAexposuresatorabovetheactionlevelof85dBArequireahearingconservation
program[29CFR1910.95(cn)](resultsobtainedfromthe80dBAthreshold).
o TWAexposuresexceedingthePEL(TableG16)requirefeasibleengineeringor
administrativecontrolstobeimplemented[29CFR1910.95(b)](resultsobtainedfrom
the90dBAthreshold).RefertotheOSHAFieldOperationsManual(FOM)foradditional
information.
Glossary
Administrativecontrol
Amethodofcontrollingworkplacehazardsbychangingworkersactivitiestoreducetheirexposuretoa
hazard.
Actionlevel
An8hourtimeweightedaverageof85decibelsmeasuredontheAscale,slowresponse,or
equivalently,adoseoffiftypercent.
Amplify
Increasethevolumeof(sound).
Audiogram
Agraphthatshowsthesoftestsoundsthatapersoncanhearatdifferentfrequencies.
Audiometer
Ameasuringinstrumentusedtoconduct hearingtests.
Audiometriczero
Thelowestsoundpressurelevelthattheaverageyoungadultwithnormalhearingcanhear.
Audiometry
Thetestingofaperson'sabilitytohearvarioussoundfrequencies.Thetestisperformedwith
theuseofelectronicequipmentcalledanaudiometer.
Auditory
Oforrelatingtothesenseofhearing.
Asphyxiant
Asubstancethatcancauseunconsciousnessordeathbysuffocation(asphyxiation).
Baselineaudiogram
Thereferenceaudiogramagainstwhichfutureaudiogramsarecompared.
Binaural
Of,relatingto,orusedwithbothears.
Continuity
Theunbrokenandconsistentexistenceoroperationofsomethingoveraperiodoftime.
Criterionsoundlevel
Asoundlevelof90decibels.
Decibel(dB)
Aunitofsoundpressurelevel,abbreviateddB.Decibelsindicatethepressureofsound.Sound
wavestransferthatpressurefromplacetoplaceandaremeasuredinunitsonalogarithmic
scale.
DeciBelAweightedfilter(dBA)
Adecibelratingcommonlyusedformeasuringsoundlevels.Usedforlowerlevels,it
correspondstopeople'snaturalhearingrecognitionandislesssensitivetoverylowandvery
highfrequencies.
Dosimeter
Adevicewornbyaworkerfordetermining accumulatednoiseexposure.
Dosimetry
Oftenreferstothestatusofwearingapersonnelbadgethatmeasuresandmonitorsdose.It
mayalsorefertodosehistoryandtherecordswheredosehistoryismaintained.
Eardrum
Amembraneintheearcanalbetweentheexternalearandthemiddleear.
Eighthourtimeweightedaverage
Anaverageexposureweightedtoaccountfortimeandchangingnoiselevelsovereighthours.
Frequency
Thenumberoftimespersecondthatthesinewaveofsoundrepeatsitself,orthatthesine
waveofavibratingobjectrepeatsitself.Nowexpressedinhertz(Hz),formerlyincyclesper
second(cps).
Haircells
Sensorycellsintheinnerearthattransformthemechanicalenergyofsoundintonerve
impulses.
Hearingthreshold
Thesoundlevelbelowwhichaperson'searisunabletodetectanysound.Foradults,0dBis
thereferencelevel.Athresholdshiftisanincreaseinthehearingthresholdforaparticular
soundfrequency.
Hertz
Unitofmeasurementoffrequency,numericallyequaltocyclespersecond,abbreviatedHz.
IndustrialHygiene
Thescienceofanticipating,recognizing,evaluating,andcontrollingworkplaceconditionsthat
maycauseworkers'injuryorillness.Industrialhygienistsuseenvironmentalmonitoringand
analyticalmethodstodetecttheextentofworkerexposureandemployengineering,work
practicecontrols,andothermethodstocontrolpotentialhealthhazards.
Innerear
Theinnerportionoftheearinvolvedinhearingandbalance.
Interdisciplinary
Oforrelatingtomorethanonebranchofknowledge.
Logarithmicscale
Ascalethatexpressesvaluesoveraverylargerange.Eachintervalonalogarithmicscaleis
somecommonfactorlargerthanthepreviousinterval.Atypicalfactoris10;thevaluesonsuch
ascaleread:1,10,100,1,000,10,000,andsoon.
Middleear
Themiddleportionoftheearconsistingoftheeardrumandanairfilledchamberlinedwith
mucousmembrane.
Monaural
Oforinvolvingoneear.
Neurotoxicity
Thecapabilityofinducingadverseeffectsinthecentralnervoussystem,peripheralnervesor
sensoryorgans.Achemicalisconsideredtobeneurotoxicifitiscapableofinducinga
consistentpatternofneuraldysfunctionorchangeinthechemistryorstructureofthenervous
system.
Noise
Soundthatisnoticeablyunpleasantorundesiredorthatinterfereswithoneshearing.
Noiseinducedhearingloss
Theresultofexposuretosoundofsufficientintensityanddurationtocauseadecreasein
hearingability.
Noisedosimeter
Aninstrumentthatintegratesafunctionofsoundpressureoveraperiodoftimeinsucha
mannerthatitdirectlyindicatesanoisedose.
Octave
Theintervalofeightdiatonicdegreesbetweentwotonesofthesamename,thehigherof
whichhastwiceasmanyvibrationspersecondasthelower.
Opticalcard
Acardwithinformationrecordedonanopticalmemorystripe,similartocompactdiscs.
Outerear
Theexternalportionoftheear,includingthecanalleadingtotheeardrum.
Otolaryngologist
Aphysicianspecializingindiagnosisandtreatmentofdisordersoftheear,noseandthroat.
Ototoxic
Damagetotheear(oto),specificallythecochleaorauditorynerveandsometimesthe
vestibularsystem,byatoxin.)
Pathology
Thestudyofdisease.Pathologyhasbeendefinedas"thatbranchofmedicinewhichtreatsof
theessentialnatureofdisease."
Personalmonitoring
Amethodofmeasuringsoundlevelsnearindividualworkers,usuallyovereighthours.
Permanentthresholdshift
Apermanentdecreaseinhearingabilityataspecifiedfrequencyascomparedwithapreviously
establishedreferencelevel.
Pitch
Thepropertyofasounddeterminedbythefrequencyofthewavesthatproduceit;thehighnessor
lownessofsound.
Safetyclimate
Thegenerallevelofsafetyawarenessandcommitmentamongmanagementandworkersinthe
organization.
Solvent
Asubstance,usuallyaliquid,capableofdissolvinganothersubstance.
Sound
Thesubjectivesensationofhearingsomethingusuallytransmittedinamaterialmedium,
typicallyair.Soundismeasuredindecibels.
Soundsurvey
Describesavarietyofmethodsformeasuringsoundlevels,includingbasicsurvey,detailed
survey,andengineeringsurvey;includesmonitoringexposurelevelsoverextendedtime
periods,suchasaneighthourworkday.
StandardThresholdShiftOSHA
Achangeinhearingthreshold,relativetothebaselineaudiogramforthatemployee,ofan
averageof10decibels(dB)ormoreat2000,3000,and4000hertz(Hz)inoneorbothears.
Temporarythresholdshift
Atemporaryimpairmentofhearingability.
Timeweightedaverage(TWA)soundlevel
Thatsoundlevel,whichifconstantoveran8hourexposure,wouldresultinthesamenoise
doseasismeasured.
Tinnitus
Ringingintheearornoisesensedinthehead.Onsetmaybeduetoexcessivesoundandpersist
intheabsenceofacousticalstimulation(inwhichcase,itmayindicatealesionoftheauditory
system).
Toxicity
Thedegreetowhichasubstance(atoxinorpoison)canharmhumansoranimals.
Vestibular
Oforrelatingtoavestibule,particularlythatoftheinnerear,ormoregenerallytothesenseof
balance.
Workpracticecontrol
Atypeofadministrativecontrol;emphasizessafeworkpracticesandprocedures.
Endnotes
1. OccupationalSafetyandHealthAdministration.(2002).HearingConservation.Retrievedfrom:
https://www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA3074/osha3074.html
2. NationalInstituteforOccupationalSafetyandHealth.(8/2015).NoiseandHearingLoss
Prevention.Retrievedfrom:http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise/stats.html
3. OccupationalSafetyandHealthAdministration.(2014).SafetyandHealthTopics:Occupational
NoiseExposure.Retrievedfrom:https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/noisehearingconservation/
4. OccupationalSafetyandHealthAdministration.(8/2013).OSHATechnicalManual(OTM):
AppendixENoiseReductionRating.Retrievedfrom:
https://www.osha.gov/dts/osta/otm/new_noise/appendixe.pdf
5. CentersforDiseaseControlandPrevention.(2001).DHHS(NIOSH)PublicationNumber2001
103:WorkRelatedHearingLoss.Retrievedfrom:http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2001103/

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OSHAcademy Course751StudyGuide

Whats the standard?

Hearing Conservation Program

Module 1: The basics

The Perils of Exposure

How to know if your hearing is damaged

Module 2: Evaluating Exposures

How to evaluate Noise exposure?

Walk around survey

Module 3: Reducing Noise Related Hazards

Examples of Engineering Controls

Module 4: Hearing Conservation Programs

Providing Hearing Protection Devices (HPDs) Management Responsibilities

Hearing Protection Devices (HPDs) Basic Requirements

Hearing Protection Labeling

Employee Training and Education

Access to Information and Training Materials

Module 5: Hearing Conservation Program Benefits

Module 6: Hearing Conservation: Required Monitoring

When must the employer repeat monitoring?

What is audiometric testing?

What is a baseline audiogram?

What are annual audiograms?

What is an employer required to do following an audiogram evaluation?

When should an employer perform an audiogram?

When are employees required to wear hearing protectors?

Standard Threshold Shift (STS)

What Training is required?

What exposure and testing records must employers keep?

Module 7: Hearing Conservation Program Audit (Optional)

Program evaluation check list, can serve well.

Engineering and Administrative Controls

Module 8: Policy Needs (Optional)

Policies Management Must Address

Setting up training sessions

Program Implementer Responsibilities

Rewards and Punishments

Module 9: The Future of Hearing Loss Prevention (Optional)

Holistic Approach: Looking at Factors Other Than Noise

TaskBased Exposure Assessment

New Directions in Theories about SelfProtective Behavior

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