Program Improvement
Introduction
This module discusses the costs and many benefits gained when an effective and efficient hearing conservation program and the use of the audit as a primary tool to analyze, develop, and deployed the HCP in the workplace.
Before any program to prevent hearing loss is put into place, or before any changes in an existing program are made, an audit should be performed on the system as it exists. Many companies decline to perform an audit because they either can't conceive of a need for it or don't recognize its value as the foundation of a successful program. A hearing conservation program audit should be considered as important to the outcome of the program as is a business plan to the success of the company.
Benefits of Program Improvement
When a company has an effective hearing conservation program, everyone wins - the employers, the employees, and the safety and health professionals who implement the program.
The primary benefit of a hearing conservation program is that it prevents occupational hearing loss and the resulting disability. Other benefits include more effective communication between employees and management which improves the quality of production. Other benefits include:
- reduced injury and illness rates;
- reduced stress and fatigue related to noise exposure;
- increased work efficiency;
- an overall higher quality of life for employees; and
- reduced direct/indirect costs.
The Costs
More than 22 million workers are exposed to potentially damaging noise at work each year.
U.S. business pays more than $1.5 million in penalties each year for not protecting workers from noise.
While it's impossible to put a number to the human toll of hearing loss, an estimated $242 million is spent annually on workers' compensation for hearing loss disability. Compensation payments may reach $27,000 and more. The cost of paying out workers' compensation far outweighs the relatively minor costs associated with developing engineering, administrative, and personal protective equipment.
Workers' compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is likely an underestimate of the actual frequency of occupational illness, representing only the tip of the iceberg.
Knowledge Check Choose the best answer for the question.
5-1. How many workers are exposed to potentially damaging noise in the workplace?
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