HEARING CONSERVATION PROGRAMME

Noise induced hearing loss is preventable. The aim of a hearing conservation

programme is to minimise damage due to excessive noise. Hearing conservation
should be implemented as soon as a noise problem is suspected and all measures
should be part of an integrated conservation programme if they are to be fully
effective. The programmer will involve adequate record keeping and include
several important steps:
1. Noise assessment and evaluation of risk
2. Action plan
3. Review and reassessment.

Components of a typical hearing conservation programme and some possible

outcomes of referral.
The first principle of hearing conservation is to prevent excessive noise from
occurring and, where this is not possible, to take steps to remove the hazard.
Adequate personal hearing protection must be made available and should be worn
correctly at all times where it is not possible to reduce noise exposure below 80
dBA; it must be worn correctly at all times where it is not possible to reduce noise
exposure below 85 dBA. It is always of primary importance to reduce noise at
source but this may be prohibitively expensive, inconvenient or simply not
possible. Even where adequate noise reduction is possible, personal hearing
protection may be required whilst measures are being put into place. Hearing
protection should be ‘so selected as to eliminate the risk to hearing or to reduce the
risk to a minimum’ (European Parliament, 2003). Two main types of hearing
protection are available, earmuffs and earplugs. Earmuffs generally provide more
noise reduction than earplugs but there is a wide degree of variation between
individual types, and the manufacturer’s data should be consulted when deciding
on the protection to be supplied. Hearing protection must be fitted correctly and
used all the time of noise exposure, otherwise its effectiveness will be greatly
reduced. Earmuffs are easier to fit correctly than earplugs and their use can be
readily monitored, however they have to be fitted tightly and so can be hot and
uncomfortable to wear for long periods. Rest periods and job rotation may help to
reduce the length of time for which hearing protection has to be worn.
The employer has a duty to ensure that workers are wearing their hearing
protection and should:
• Have a safety policy that includes the need to use hearing protection.
• Place an appropriate person in charge of issuing hearing protection.
• Ensure replacement hearing protection is readily available.
• Carry out spot checks to ensure hearing protection is being used properly.
• Discipline any employee who persistently fails to use hearing protection properly.
• Ensure all managers set a good example by wearing ear protection at all times in
noisy areas
An on-going hearing surveillance programme should be introduced to monitor the
hearing of workers exposed to noise. This involves hearing tests to detect early
signs of noise damage. The aims of the programme are usually to safeguard the
employees’ hearing, to identify and protect employees who are at increased risk
and to check the long-term effectiveness of noise control measures. Audiometry
should identify anyone who is developing or has developed significant noise
damage. A programme of monitoring audiometry must be put into place for:
• All employees who are exposed at or above the upper action level.
• All vulnerable or susceptible employees, who are exposed at or above the lower
action level.
If a hearing loss is found to be developing, the worker should be warned and
measures should be introduced to prevent further noise damage. It is important to
check that the hearing protection being worn is of the type that was issued to that
individual and that it has not been tampered with, that it is in good condition and is
being worn in the correct manner. It may be necessary to retrain the worker in the
correct use of their hearing protection. Exposure factors should be investigated and
steps must be taken to preserve the employee’s remaining or ‘residual’ hearing.
Audiometry should also alert management to those employees who are highly
susceptible to noise damage, where additional measures may be needed. These
measures may include issuing personally moulded earplugs or earmuffs with
greater attenuation, more frequent hearing tests and extra education on why and
how to avoid noise risk, or, usually as a last resort, removal from noise exposure.
Under normal circumstances, it is good practice to re-test an employee who is
exposed to hazardous noise:
• every year for the first two years
• at three-year intervals thereafter, if there is no cause for concern.
Where hearing damage is known or thought to be occurring, the next hearing re-
test should be repeated at a shorter than normal interval, for example in three
months, six months or a year as appropriate. Employees who will be exposed to
noise at work should be tested pre-employment or as early as possible in their
employment. This first test forms the baseline for future comparisons and it is
extremely important that it is accurate and can be shown to be so. A pre-
employment audiogram will also indicate any pre-existing hearing loss, where
there is an extra duty of care and the employer is required to consider extra
precautions to prevent further hearing loss. It is advisable, wherever possible, to
undertake a final hearing test before a worker leaves employment, as this can be
used to help prove the limit of liability for any noise damage to hearing. Careful
records must be made and retained, in addition to the audiogram itself.
A hearing conservation programme should also (as well as reducing noise hazards)
include increasing awareness through education. Education is a requirement for
those responsible for the programme as well as for those affected by the measures.
Employee representatives, such as safety representatives or trade union
representatives, should, where possible and appropriate, be involved in the
development of a hearing conservation programme, as this will assist in gaining the
employees’ acceptance. Specific training will be required on, for example, the
correct use of hearing protection but employees are most likely to protect
themselves adequately if they understand the risks and the protection available.
Education should be on-going and may take many forms, including talks, films,
posters and leaflets.
Advice to all employees should explain the effects of noise on hearing, the systems
in place to reduce harmful noise and their duty to comply with requirements, for
instance by:
• Not entering noisy work areas unnecessarily and keeping doors to noisy areas
closed.
• Wearing their hearing protection correctly at all times when working in or
passing through areas where there is high noise exposure.
• Using correctly any equipment provided by the employer for noise control, for
example not removing silencers, shields and barriers that have been fitted.
• Looking after all hearing protection provided to them.
• Reporting any equipment defects
Thus, Hearing conservation is needed when workers are exposed to loud noise.
The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 specifies lower action levels of 80
dBA for daily noise exposure, or 112 Pa for instantaneous peak exposures; upper
action levels of 85 dBA for daily noise exposure, or 140 Pa for instantaneous peak
exposures; maximum exposure limits of 87 dBA for daily noise exposure, or 200
Pa for instantaneous peak exposures. If there appears to be a noise hazard that is at
or above the lower action level, a suitable and sufficient risk assessment must be
carried out. This will include accurate sound level measurements if the noise is
likely to be at or above the upper action level. Where the employee’s noise
exposure varies during the day, calculations may involve time and motion study, or
an integrating sound level meter can be used. A small integrating sound level
meter, known as a dosimeter, may be used to calculate an individual’s exposure
throughout a typical working day. The noise risk assessment must be reviewed
regularly, and whenever there is any change that could impact on the noise levels.
An action plan forms the link between the risk assessment and the control of the
problems. It sets out a list of prioritised actions, which will include such things as
noise control, hearing protection, monitoring audiometry and education. Adequate
records must be kept. Noise reduction is always of greatest importance. Hearing
protection will be required whilst noise levels are being reduced or where it is not
practical to reduce noise levels below the lower action level. At the lower action
level, hearing protection must be provided; at the upper action level, hearing
protection must be worn. Monitoring audiometry is mandatory where employees
are exposed to noise levels at or above the upper action level and at the lower
action level for those employees who are susceptible. Audiometric tests are usually
carried out every year for the first two years and then, if there is no cause for
concern, every three years. The personal audiometric records are confidential but
an individual health record, which will be available to the enforcing authorities on
request, should also be maintained.

Reference: Occupational Audiometry Monitoring and protecting hearing at work

(Maryanne Maltby)