What makes a successful hearing conservation program?

Full Abstract

Although preventable, hearing impairment is one of the most prevalent disabilities in Western societies. In the United States, approximately 30 million individuals are at risk for noise-induced hearing loss and 22 million individuals between the ages of 20 and 69 have permanently damaged their hearing by exposure to loud sounds or noise in their environment. Both work-related and recreational noise exposure affect an individual's hearing. Legislation in 1969 and later in 1983 established standards mandating that all workers exposed to noise levels at or greater than 85 dBA time-weighted average be placed in a hearing conservation program that includes provision of hearing protective devices. This article discusses components of an effective hearing conservation program, and the roles and functions of interdisciplinary team members in making a hearing conservation program successful.

Author information

Author/s: Rogers, Bonnie (B); Meyer, Denai (D); Summey, Carol (C); Scheessele, Dawn (D); Atwell, Terry (T); Ostendorf, Judith (J); Randolph, Susan A (SA); Buckheit, Kathleen (K);

Affiliation: NC Occupational Safety and Health Education and Research Center and the Occupational Health Nursing Program, University of North Carolina, School of Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: AAOHN journal : official journal of the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN J), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2009-Aug; vol 57 (issue 8) : pp 321-35; quiz 336-7

Dates: Created 2009/09/04; Completed 2009/11/05;

PMID: 19728686, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/5/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article
(including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.