by James L. Nash
For most employers, OSHA's occupational noise exposure standard means establishing effective hearing conservation and medical surveillance programs, but experts say that was not the original intention of the rule.
OSHA enforcement policy, some critics charge, has shifted the original emphasis of the standard (1910.95) away from engineering controls that would reduce noise levels, to making sure workers wear hearing protection devices. Could OSHA shift back to its original focus on engineering solutions?
There is evidence that suggests too many workers are not wearing hearing protectors properly, particularly in the construction industry. The result, according to some informed observers, raises concerns for both workers and employers.
Mind-Expanding Hearing Loss
"By age 25, the average carpenter has 50-year-old ears," says Mark Stephenson, Ph.D., a bioacoustics researcher at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). "All the studies show it's one of the top three occupational illnesses in the U.S. It's so common that in construction, people think it's normal."
The most common reason hearing loss is continuing even with hearing protection programs is that the protective devices are not worn, or not worn properly, according to Doug Kalinowski, director of the bureau of safety and regulation at Michigan's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA).
"We continue to see significant hearing loss even in hearing protection programs," asserts Dr. Kenneth Rosenman, professor of medicine at Michigan State University.
Not long ago, Rosenman received a jolt that makes him believe the problem is far worse than he feared. Until recently, he paid little attention to workers reporting temporary standard threshold shifts (STS) because he assumed they were being monitored in effective hearing protection programs (for the definition of STS, see sidebar on p. 32). Then, Rosenman began to look at the baseline audiograms of people with temporary shifts.
"It turns out these people who are losing their hearing have a baseline that is already degraded," he explains. "This expands my mind about the amount of hearing loss going on in hearing protection programs."
There are a number of reasons why workers do not wear hearing protection, or wear it properly. Poor education, awareness and training are common problems, as is the failure of the employer to provide a sufficient variety of protective devices. If a worker can't find a device that fits, it won't be comfortable and it won't be worn.
Protecting workers who already have hearing loss can be especially challenging, according to Laura R. Ray, associate professor at the Thayer School of Engineering of Dartmouth College. "In occupational environments, you do need to hear certain things, such as warning bells or your co-workers. Many people already have hearing loss, so these devices makes the problem worse."
Fortunately, there are some new products on the market that can increase the chances workers will use hearing protectors and that will not block out sounds they need to hear (see sidebar on page 28).
Given how well the problem is understood, some occupational health experts express frustration at the persistence of hearing loss, more than three decades after OSHA issued its standard.
Dr. Michael Metz, director of audiology for Ear Professionals International Corp., a consulting firm headquartered in Industry, Calif., puts it this way: "We know what causes hearing loss, what controls to use, and how to fix noise, but what we don't know is how to make anybody in industry or government give a darn."
Government and industry may soon have some good reasons to "give a darn."
Risks for Employers
Rampant hearing loss is confronting companies with at least two risks. First, workers are losing their hearing, and many are suing their employers. Second, employers may have grown too complacent about the way OSHA interprets and enforces 1910.95.
"Hearing protection has come to be considered an appropriate way to protect your employees, but that's not the 