Noise

Noise is the most common hazard in the workplace. Most provinces in Canada have adopted 85 dBA as the 8-hour occupational exposure limit for chronic exposure to noise. Despite engineering controls and the use of hearing protection, over-exposure remains common.

The goal of a workplace hearing conservation program is to limit exposure to noise and detect early noise-induced changes in hearing: 

* noise measurement and control
* employee education
* hearing protective devices
* medical surveillance (audiometry) 


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Baseline and periodic medical assessments for noise-exposed employees include a pre-test questionnaire, otoscopic examination, and pure-tone audiometry. Key challenges are:

* identifying those noise-exposed employees who are at risk of hearing loss, based on industrial hygiene data or qualitative measures of noise exposure
+ proper testing facilities, equipment, and procedures
* training of audiometric technicians and oversight by a professional supervisor
* interpretation and management of noise-related changes in hearing
* identification and referral of medical conditions affecting hearing
* determining the work-relatedness of a hearing loss

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Reference Article
US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA):
* 1910.95 – Occupational Noise Exposure
* 1904.10 – Recording criteria for cases involving occupational hearing loss

Alberta Occupational Health and Safety Code (2009) Section 16 – Noise Exposure

Canadian Standards Association. Audiometric testing for use in hearing loss prevention programs
(CSA Z107.6 – 2016)

American Academy of Otolaryngology (AAO). Medical Referral Criteria for Occupational Hearing Conservation Programs. Arch otolaryngol head neck surgery 121 (1995) 407-411

American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM) Guidance Statement – Occupational Noise-induced Hearing Loss. JOEM 54:1 (2012) 106-108.

American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM). The Role of the Professional Supervisor in the Audiometric Testing Component of Hearing Conservation Programs (2007)

Alberta Occupational Health and Safety:
Audiometric Testing: OHS information for employers and workers. HS005 (February 2017)
OHS Code Explanation guide - Part 16 - Audiometric Testing

Materson et al. Prevalence of Workers with Shifts in Hearing by Industry - a Comparison of OSHA and NIOSH Hearing Shift Criteria. JOEM (2014) 56;4 446-xxxx