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Hearing conservation programs strive to prevent initial occupational hearing loss, preserve and protect remaining hearing, and equip workers with the knowledge and hearing protection devices necessary to safeguard themselves.
Provide double hearing protection (earmuffs over earplugs) for workers exposed to noise levels 100 dBA or greater or impulse sounds. Fit test workers to make sure their hearing protectors are providing the right level of noise reduction.
Employers shall make hearing protectors available to all employees exposed to an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels or greater at no cost to the employees. Hearing protectors shall be replaced as necessary.
OSHA specifies that hearing protectors such as earplugs, earmuffs, or custom-molded devices should be provided, ensuring that they effectively attenuate noise exposure to safe levels: Earplugs: Inserted into the ear canal, providing a barrier that reduces sound levels.
Figure 1: Selection of different hearing protection devices – Earplugs, Earmuffs, and Earbands. 1) Know How Much Noise Reduction You Need. Obviously, the first consideration in choosing a hearing protector is whether it will block enough noise to reduce your exposure to a safe level.
OSHA, NIOSH and the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA) have endorsed hearing protector fit testing as a best practice. 3M strongly recommends fit testing of hearing protectors as an indicator of the noise reduction obtained by individual employees.
OSHA’s hearing conservation program is designed to protect workers with significant occupational noise exposures from hearing impairment even if they are subject to such noise exposures over their entire working lifetimes. This publication summarizes the required component of OSHA’s hearing conservation program for general industry.
OSHA mandates that any workplace averaging 85dB for an eight-hour average exposure must put in place an effective hearing conservation program. (On construction sites it’s a 90dB threshold.) If you need to raise your voice to speak to someone three feet away, noise levels might be above 85dB.
Hearing Threshold Shift Recordability; News. Certification Extensions & Cancellation of Courses due to COVID-19; CAOHC’s Position Statement on the matter of performing occupational audiometry during the COVID-19; HC Screening Guides - due to COVID-19; How to Manage an Effective Hearing Conservation Program; Social Media; UPDATE ...
With hearing protection, it comes down to balancing attenuation and situational awareness—the ability to hear what’s going on in the workplace. Level-dependent hearing protectors can help employees who report difficulty detecting important sounds and communicating while wearing HPDs.