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It is important for employers to have an effective hearing conservation plan in place. Hearing loss affects over 28 million people in the U.S. and about 10 million of those impairments can be attributed, in part, to damage from exposure to loud sounds. Occupational noise exposure is the most common cause of noise-induced hearing loss and is preventable in most cases.
A good hearing conservation policy includes the following:
- Baseline testing of all employees conducted at date of hire;
- Baseline testing of all employees if a hearing conservation policy is new to the company;
- The use of hearing protection on the job--using either ear plugs or muffs or a combination of both;
- The use of hearing protection OFF the job--protection while mowing the lawn, using power tools or while hunting;
- Annual audiograms (hearing tests)conducted for all employees in the noise environment (85 decibels or greater on a sustained basis); and Education
HealthWorks Northwest can conduct audiograms in both the Longview and Chehalis clinic locations and using our mobile services. Audiograms are conducted by CAOHC-Certified technicians. Employers receive a binder archiving audiogram results. Hearing conservation involves more than just conducting baseline and annual audiograms on employees. A complete hearing conservation policy includes an evaluation of the noise environment, recommendations on how to lower the level of noise in the environment and education how employees can reduce the risk of on-the-job hearing loss. At HealthWorks Northwest we help employers develop a hearing conservation program from start to finish, incuding policy development, education and record-keeping.
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