Assessing and Improving Occupational Hearing Loss Prevention Programs

Welcome to the Website for Hearing Conservation Program Effectiveness! Here you will find tools and ideas for improving your hearing conservation program and making it more effective.

These include a self assessment process that involves both assessing your program according to OSHA compliance and best practices, but also provides an (optional) tool for surveying noise exposed workers in your facility about their perceptions of the hearing conservation program!

Great- you have chosen to perform an assessment of the quality and effectiveness of your hearing conservation program.

Our recent research has found that while the information that management can supply about a program can be very helpful in identifying areas for improvement, the most important factor actually predicting the amount of hearing loss that may take place over the next five years may be the perceptions of the workers about the program!

Therefore we offer you two choices for assessing your program.

Here are directions for doing the employee survey.

Here is the survey to print.

Download this excel spreadsheet now to keep until you are ready to input the employee survey data you have collected.

Please enter percentages between 0 and 100 in each of the boxes

Results from Employee Surveys

Look at the results from the "Totals" tab of the spreadsheet that you downloaded with the survey, and copy over the values from the following cells:

Cell B8:
Cell D8:
Cell I8:
Cell N8:
Cell T8:
Cell AA8:
Cell AH8:
Cell AK8:

Best Practice and Standards

What percentage of noise control opportunities identified in the past year have been implemented?
What percentage of process, equipment, and work activity changes in the past year triggered noise exposure measurements within one month of the change?
When your employees take the training post-test, what percentage score greater than 90%?
What percent of noise-exposed workers receive one-on-one instruction to optimize selection and fit of HPDs at job entry?
During a typical plant walk-through, what percent of plant personnel are using hearing protection in required areas?
What percent of audiometric technicians are CAOHC certified?
During the last year of testing, what percentage of employees with a threshold shift had a repeat test within 30 days to confirm?
Among your noise-exposed employees tested last year, what was your rate of confirmed recordable hearing shifts?

Training and Education

Has a training program been instituted for all employees in the hearing conservation program?
Is the training done annually?
Does the training include information on the effects of noise on hearing?
Does the training include information on the purpose, advantages and disadvantages of hearing protectors?
Does the training include instruction on selection, fitting and care of hearing protectors?
Does the training include information on the purpose of audiometric testing and an explanation of test procedures?

Noise Assessment and Control

Have all work areas been evaluated to determine if noise monitoring is warranted?
Have sound level measurements been taken in areas suspected of having noise levels that exceed those specified in OSHA Table G-16?
Has a noise monitoring program been developed and implemented?
Has 8-hour noise monitoring been done of employees performing jobs in noisy areas or working with loud equipment to identify which employees to include in a hearing conservation program?
Is noise monitoring repeated when there is a change in equipment or controls?
Are employees notified of the results of the noise monitoring?

Audiometric Testing

Is audiometric testing provided, at no cost, to all employees whose exposure is equal to or exceeds an 8-hour time weighted average of 85 dba?
Are baseline audiograms given within 6 months of an employee’s first exposure to noise levels equal or exceeding the action level?
Are annual audiograms provided to employees in the hearing conservation program?
Are audiograms administered, reviewed and evaluated by competent trained personnel?
Are annual audiograms compared to the baseline to determine if a standard threshold shift has occurred in an employee’s hearing?
Are problem audiograms reviewed by an audiologist, otolarynologist or physician to determine if further action is necessary?

Hearing Protection Devices

Has proper hearing protection been identified and provided at no cost to the employees?
Does the supervisor ensure that proper hearing protectors are worn by the affected employees?
Is a variety of protectors provided for the employees to choose?
Have the employees been trained in the proper use and care of the protectors?

Administrative

Is a copy of the OSHA noise standard posted in the workplace?

Record Keeping

Is a copy of all noise exposure measurements retained for two years?
Are audiometric test records retained for the duration of the affected employee’s employment plus thirty years?
Are all records relating to an employees noise exposure provided to that employee or employee representative upon request?

Progress Bar

Other Resources:

Funding from NIOSH 1R01OH010132-01