Hazards of a work environment that can result in OHL include excessive noise, ototoxic chemicals, or physical trauma.

OHL caused by physical trauma may include foreign bodies in the ear, vibration, barotrauma, or head injury.

OHL, as well as hearing loss in general, can cause negative secondary social and emotional effects that can impact quality of life.

[15] United States government agencies such as OSHA, NIOSH and MSHA are working to understand the causes of OHL and how it can be prevented while providing regulations and guidelines to help protect the hearing of workers in all occupations.

NIOSH established the REL for occupational noise exposures to be 85 decibels, A-weighted (dB[A]) as an 8-hour time-weighted average.

This dose limit uses a 3-dB time-intensity tradeoff commonly referred to as the exchange rate or equal-energy rule: for every 3-dB increase in noise level, the allowable exposure time is reduced by half.

[citation needed] OSHA's current permissible exposure limit (PEL) for workers is an average of 90 dB over an 8-hour work day.

[citation needed] Some recent studies suggest that some smartphone applications may be able to measure noise as precisely as a Type 2 SLM.

[1] Exposure to organic solvents, heavy metals, and asphyxiants such as carbon monoxide can all cause hearing loss.

[26] Hearing protection devices, such as earmuffs and earplugs can reduce noise exposure to safe levels, but, instructions are needed on how to put plugs into the ears correctly to achieve potential attenuation.

These types of controls typically involve making changes in equipment or other changes to minimize the level of noise that reaches a worker's ear.

They may also involve measures such as barriers between the worker and the source of the noise, mufflers, regular maintenance of the machinery, or substituting quieter equipment.

[citation needed] In addition to the hierarchy of controls, other programs have been created to promote the prevention of hearing loss in the workplace.

For example, the Buy Quiet program was created to encourage the purchase of quieter tools and machinery in the workplace.

[32] Additionally, the Safe-In-Sound award was created to recognize organizations that excel in preventing occupational hearing loss.

[34] As industrial society continues to grow, this issue is becoming increasingly detrimental due to the exposure of chemicals and physical objects.

Within the United States of America alone, 10 of the 28 million people that have experienced hearing loss related to noise exposure.

In order to gather relevant information, workers who have experienced loud work environments are questioned regarding their hearing abilities during everyday activities.

When analyzing OHP, it is necessary to consider family history, hobbies, recreational activities, and how they could play a role in a person's hearing loss.

In order to test hearing loss, audiometers are used to and are adjusted to American National Standards Institute (ANSI) regulations.

The Occupation and Safety Health Association (OSHA) of the United States of America requires a program that conserves hearing when noise levels are greater than 85 dB.