Occupational Hearing Loss Recording Criteria
If an employee's hearing test (audiogram) reveals that the employee has experienced a work-related Standard Threshold Shift (STS) in hearing in one or both ears, and the employee's total hearing level is 25 decibels (dB) or more above audiometric zero (averaged at 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz) in the same ear(s) as the STS, you must record the case on the OSHA 300 Log.
What is a Standard Threshold Shift?
A Standard Threshold Shift, or STS, is defined in the occupational noise exposure standard at 29 CFR 1910.95(g)(10)(i) as a change in hearing threshold, relative to the baseline audiogram for that employee, of an average of 10 decibels (dB) or more at 2000, 3000, and 4000 hertz (Hz) in one or both ears.
Do I have to record the hearing loss if I am going to retest the employee's hearing?
- No, if you retest the employee's hearing within 30 days of the first test, and the retest does not confirm the recordable STS.
- Yes, if the retest confirms the recordable STS. Record the hearing loss case within 7 calendar days of the retest.
- Update, if subsequent audiometric testing performed under the testing requirements of the noise standard (See 1910.95) indicates that an STS is not persistent. Update by erasing, deleting, or lining-out the recorded entry.
When do I record a hearing loss case on the OSHA 300 Log?
- Yes. When a hearing loss is work-related or has been significantly aggravated according to 1904.5, enter it in the column for hearing loss ((M)(5)).
- No. When a physician or other licensed health care professional determines that the hearing loss is not work-related or has not been significantly aggravated by occupational noise exposure, the case is not work-related.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
4-8. If an employee has a recordable Standard Threshold Shift, you are required to enter the hearing loss on the OSHA 300 Log unless a retest that fails to confirm the recordable STS is conducted within _____.
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