According to 2022 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) data, there were nearly 11,000 hearing injuries reported across 3,700 companies. Increasing by approximately 10% year over year, this data raises some questions as to WHY?
With recent litigation still in progress for military service members impacted by hearing loss, evidence suggests that while hearing protection is often provided to employees, vital pieces are missing to help mitigate hearing loss:

1. Appropriate sizing/fit of hearing protection worn
2. Complete training for insertion and use
3. Organizational standards/culture to ensure user compliance.

In the 2022 data, the industries that faced the worst hearing loss were:

• Manufacturing: aircraft, motor vehicles, trucks and vans, furniture, construction, windows, and more
• Marine: shipyards, ship building, cargo handling, and more
• Food production/Slaughtering: poultry, non-poultry, and beef produced in slaughtering plants

If your organization is subject to 29 CFR 1910.95 Hear to Serve is Here for you!

A one-time exposure to a sudden or tremendously loud noise, such as an explosion or gunshot, may damage your hearing immediately. Such events and injuries can lead to immediate and permanent hearing loss or the loss may just be temporary. Tinnitus (or ringing in your ears) can occur even without other apparent hearing loss from such injuries. In parallel, prolonged exposures to loud noise can lead to a gradual, but permanent, loss of hearing. While both are a focus of Occupational Hearing Conservation, the continual and long-term exposures are the more prevalent (and preventable) instances in today’s workforce.
Initial injuries to the auditory system may cause a temporary loss of hearing that may last as little as 12-16 hours. However, with repeated exposure to noise levels above the exposure threshold, hearing may not fully recover. This continual exposure is where measurable and correctable action can be taken to protect employees’ hearing.
Why does this matter? Beyond regulatory compliance alone, loud noise can reduce work productivity and contribute to workplace accidents. A recent study found that workers persistently exposed to excessive occupational noise may be 2 to 3 times more likely to suffer from serious heart disease than workers who were not exposed.
The impact of noise threshold exposures greater than 85dBA, over an 8-hour day, are proven to impact performance beyond simple hearing loss of the individual. A hearing conservation program is not only an OSHA requirement for these exposures but also can clearly impact recordable injuries, lost time, and general productivity.
If your organization is subject to 29 CFR 1910.95 Hear to Serve is Here for you!

A quick rule to note: If you need to raise your voice to speak to someone 3 feet away, the noise level in that area is likely be over 85 decibels (dB).
Noise control engineering is the means by which an organization can add physical controls aimed at limiting noise exposure. This mitigation of noise would be recommended by an industrial hygienist or noise engineer, who helps anticipate health and safety concerns and designs solutions to prevent them. They do this by conducting a worksite analysis to evaluate all jobs, operations, machinery, and work activities at that site, in addition to problem solving on specific activities or work areas.
After control engineering is in place, noise levels may still be above the allowable threshold for OSHA regulations (this is not uncommon). This is where hearing conservation programs come into play. Employees whose noise exposure exceeds 85dBA 8-hr TWA are required to have annual training and hearing tests to ensure they do not have hearing loss associated with work noise exposure. Any employee whose noise exposures exceed 90dbA 8-hr TWA are required to wear hearing protection, rated to reduce the noise level below the OSHA threshold.
Development, management, and tracking of these programs is essential to successfully complying with OSHA standards and keeping your employees safe.
If your organization is subject to 29 CFR 1910.95 Hear to Serve is Here for you!

The Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC) is the gold standard for certifying technicians capable of conducting occupational audiometric testing.
Hear to Serve is a Female, and Veteran, owned business exclusively designed for the purposes of Occupational Hearing Conservation.
We provide both in-person and virtual options for certification and re-certification of hearing conservationists. For those larger groups or companies, we even offer custom corporate courses! Contact us today.
If your organization is subject to 29 CFR 1910.95 Hear to Serve is Here for you!

Hear to Serve conducts noise monitoring utilizing ANSI approved sound level meters and personal noise dosimeters to provide: location specific, role specific, and overall noise level readings.
How does it work?

1. Our certified team members will work with the company to discover information about the employer’s size, operation, designated work areas, workflows, previous noise surveys, and hearing conservation programs in place.
2. At your site, we will strategically place the sound leveling meters and affix the personal noise dosimeters on employees in applicable workspaces.
3. The specialist will record ambient noise in various areas, including high-noise tasks and equipment.
4. Following the employee and facility noise assessment survey, our noise specialist will prepare detailed reporting and sound level mapping to show area, task, and individual exposure levels as they relate to the OSHA regulatory compliance.
• The noise survey mapping will pinpoint areas, equipment, and process of concern to assist with implementation of noise controls.

Remember that OSHA requires that sound surveys be completed every time there is a change in equipment, work environment, or process. NIOSH recommends that they be done at least every 5 yrs (or more often if the action level is above 95dBA 8-hr TWA).
The noise measurement survey is an on-site service. The amount of time onsite will vary based company size, number of employees, and degree of high-risk areas.
If your organization is subject to 29 CFR 1910.95 Hear to Serve is Here for you!

Does your organization conduct its own audiometric testing to comply with 29 CFR 1910.95 and OSHA standards? Or perhaps you provide in-clinic or on-site audiometric testing services?
Either way, the gold standard of certification for these technicians is the through the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC). This certification allows hearing conservationists to perform manual or microprocessor based hearing tests. These audiometric tests help organizations comply with OSHA regulations surrounding Hearing Conservation Programs.
Hear to Serve was founded with the soul purpose of fully supporting Occupational Hearing Conservation.
From consulting to setup of employer programs, through all aspects of in-person and virtual certification, to audiometric testing and OSHA recordkeeping and reporting, Hear to Serve is here for you for all of your Occupational Noise needs.
If your organization is subject to 29 CFR 1910.95 Hear to Serve is Here for you!