Hearing conservation program
[2] Regarding occupational exposures to noise, a hearing conservation program is required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) "whenever employee noise exposures equal or exceed an 8-hour time-weighted average sound level (TWA) of 85 decibels (dB) measured on the A scale (slow response) or, equivalently, a dose of fifty percent.
[8] If engineering controls fail to maintain an 8-hour time-weighted average below 85 dBA, then a hearing protection device (HPD) is required.
[13][14] To determine the amount of noise reduction afforded by a hearing protection device for the A weighted scale, OSHA recommends that 7 dB be subtracted from the NRR.
OSHA, which monitors workplaces in the United States to ensure safe and healthful working conditions, specifies that employees should have a baseline audiogram established within 6 months of their first exposure to 85 dBA time-weighted average (TWA).
Before establishing baseline, it is important that the employee limit excessive noise exposure that could potentially cause a temporary threshold shift and affect results of testing.
The criterion most commonly used is the standard threshold shift (STS), defined by a change of 10 dB or greater averaged at 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz.
MSHA considers whether an STS is "reportable" by determining if the average amount of change that occurs exceeds 25 dB HL.
Completing baseline and follow-up audiograms allows workplaces to detect hearing loss as early as possible and determine whether changes need to be made to provide a safe working environment for their employees.
Workers who have suffered from a temporary hearing threshold shift following loud noise exposure may serve as a motivation for the use of HPD.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has created a checklist to help evaluate the effectiveness of a hearing conservation program.
External solutions such as proper maintenance of equipment can lead to noise reduction, but further study of this issue under real-life conditions is needed.
Other possible solutions include improved enforcement of existing legislation and better implementation of well-designed prevention programs, which have not yet been proven conclusively to be effective.
Many traditionally noisy tools and machines are now being redesigned in order to manufacture quieter running equipment, so a "buy quiet" purchase policy should not require new engineering solutions in most cases.
In order to make these plans effective, employees and administration need to be educated in occupational noise-induced hearing loss prevention.
Browse through the winners of the Safe-In-Sound awards to read more about success stories at workplaces such as Domtar in Kinsgsport Mill, TN, 3M in Hutchinson, MN, and Northrop Grumman in Linthicum, MD.
These employees may want to continue to wear their amplification because of communication needs, or localization, but amplifying the noise may exceed the OSHA 8-hour permissible exposure limit (PEL) of 90 dBA.
[32] There are not regulations to protect children from excessive noise exposure, but it is estimated that 5.2 million kids have noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL).
[34] Due to increased worry among both parents and experts regarding NIHL in children, it has been suggested that hearing conservation programs be implemented in schools as part of their studies regarding health and wellness.
[35] The creation of a hearing conservation program for children will strongly differ from those created for the occupational settings discussed above.
With NIHL being a fully preventable ailment, providing children with this type of education has the potential to reduce future incidence of this condition.
There are multiple organizations in existence that provide educators with the appropriate material to teach this topic; teachers simply need to be proactive about accessing them.
Reoccurring lessons on the same topic area[21] Dangerous Decibels is a program designed to teach concepts related to the prevention of noise-induced hearing loss.
[38] Run by the Ear Science Institute of Australia, this school program was created to educate elementary-age children on the risks of high listening levels and the effects of hearing loss.
Program has a mascot named Charlie and uses sound level meters, computer games, apps, and take-home packets to teach the concepts.
[39] Organized by the United States National Institutes of Health, this is a campaign created with the aim to increase parental awareness of both the causes and effects of noise induced hearing loss.
Resources provided include web-based games and puzzles, downloadable graphics, and tips for school and home environments.
Resources include: Know Your Noise - an online risk calculator and speech-in-noise test, a short video that aims to raise awareness of tinnitus in musicians, and a comprehensive website with detailed information.
Hearing protection is required to be carried by personnel who work in designated noise areas, such as those exposed to gunfire or ordnance tests and Service musicians.
It is further specified that a shift in 15 dB at 1000, 2000, 3000, or 4000 Hz is an early warning sign for an STS; follow-up retraining is required in this case.
The European Union (EU) requires a hearing conservation program be implemented when the worker exposure levels exceed 80 dBA TWA.
