U.S. rules on hearing protection

Noisy American work places are required to monitor the hearing of employees exposed to hazardous noise in accordance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.

Among the requirements are annual audiograms for exposed workers. Employers must record work-related hearing loss cases when an employee's hearing test shows a marked decrease in overall hearing. Any decrease of 10 dB or more when compared to the employee's earlier hearing test, must be recorded when a total overall hearing level decline of 25 dB has occurred. The rules require that the affected employee be referred for appropriate medical evaluation, as needed. The rules allow employers to make adjustments for hearing loss caused by aging, seek the advice of a physician or licensed health care professional to determine if the loss is work-related, and perform additional hearing tests to verify the persistence of the hearing loss. "Hearing loss can result in serious disability and put employees at risk of being injured on the job," said OSHA Administrator John Henshaw. "This approach will help employers better protect their workers and help all of us improve our national injury and illness statistics and prevent future hearing loss among our nation's workers." In 2001, OSHA issued 1,146 citations to American companies for failure to live up to the rules on hearing protection. In total, the proposed fines and penalties reached US$ 611,000. Source: OSHA