Enterprise HealthHCPHearing Conservation Program
An OSHA-mandated program to prevent occupational hearing loss among workers exposed to high noise levels.
Key facts
- Triggered at an 8-hour TWA noise exposure of 85 dBA (OSHA action level).
- Requires baseline and annual audiograms under 29 CFR 1910.95.
- Watches for standard threshold shifts that may be OSHA-recordable.
What it means
When noise exposure reaches OSHA's action level (an 8-hour TWA of 85 dBA), 29 CFR 1910.95 requires a hearing conservation program: baseline and annual audiograms, comparison for standard threshold shifts, hearing-protection and training. Audiometric histories must be tracked over a worker's career, making longitudinal record-keeping essential.
Frequently asked
When is a hearing conservation program required?
When employee noise exposure reaches OSHA's action level — an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 dBA. The program then requires audiometric testing, hearing protection and training.
Why keep career-long audiogram histories?
Because the program compares each annual audiogram to the baseline to detect a standard threshold shift — an early sign of noise-induced hearing loss. That comparison only works with retained, trended histories.
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