Synergist - March 2011

for the right amount of protection. Fit-testing raises several key follow-up questions:

Are workers using appropriate hearing protection?

Based on the metrics from several companies using earplug fit-testing, a significant number of workers initially choose the wrong earplug, and those who choose the right earplug may be using it incorrectly.2 Use markers such as stickers on hard hats or badges to identify the appropriate earplug for each employee and maintain an inventory of each product.

Are workers using hearing protection when it is needed? The walk-through audit is the traditional metric for determining whether workers are using earplugs consistently. But visual checks may not be enough. The best way to determine whether workers are really protected by their hearing protection is through in-ear monitoring. As mentioned above, in-ear monitoring reports the dose of hazardous noise for the individual and notifies the worker of overexposures as they occur, which helps workers learn when hearing protection is needed. In-ear monitoring records the overall dose for the work shift and transmits single-day overexposures to a supervisor or safety manager for preventive intervention.

Are workers using personal protective equipment (PPE) effectively? In a study of nearly 100 workers, three out of four were able to estimate the correct range of protection (within 7–8 dB) that they achieved from earplugs after a short fit-test training session. (Results of this study will be presented at AIHce 2011.) By asking workers to estimate the amount of protection they expect to receive and verifying the amount via fit-testing, you can make a game out of prevention—a game that helps motivate workers to use hearing protection and makes them part of the solution.

How consistent is the protection provided by an earplug? Repeated fit-testing can document the variability of fit that workers achieve with a given earplug. In-ear monitoring can also be used to check consistency of use.

Figure 3. Distribution of protected exposure levels (PrEL) for 147 workers before (light bars)
and after (dark bars) one-on-one training.

Which earplugs are needed to provide “appropriate selection” of hearing protection?

Knowing which level of protection earplugs provide for your workers helps ensure that you keep the proper selection in stock. After earplug fit-testing has been completed on all workers, you’ll be able to manage earplug inventory.

Remember that some workers need more than one hearing protector—for example, one for their highest noise exposures and one for lower exposures. A logistics-related metric can be used to measure the availability of the right mix of earplugs.

Are workers trained in hearing loss
prevention?
The traditional metric involves counting
the number of people in a group training
room or auditing training records. A
metric focused more on prevention could
involve the use of in-ear monitoring to
help workers recognize when they need
hearing protection and whether their
protection is working. Some companies
use in-ear dosimeters to train new em-
ployees: once workers demonstrate the
ability to use hearing protection effec-
tively by achieving 50 percent dose or
less for a few weeks or a few months,
they can use similar hearing protection
without in-ear monitoring. Selection of
the earplug that will not be constantly
monitored can be based on fit-testing.
Even periodic retests can be completed
to confirm appropriate protection. Meas-
uring the desired behavior is certainly a
better metric than just checking atten-
dance at training sessions.

Proactive Metrics

Metrics are often used to submit a required report. But proactive metrics can show the value of hearing loss prevention activities, which can help justify resources and prioritize what you need to work on to make a real difference in your hearing loss prevention program.

TheresaY.Schulz,PhD, Lt.Col.,USAF(ret),isthe HearingConservationManagerforHowardLeight/ SperianHearingProtection,LLC(nowpartof Honeywell).Shecanbecontactedattschulz@ sperian.com.

Resources

1. NIOSH: “Preventing Occupational Hearing Loss—A Practical Guide.” [Online] Available at www.cdc.gov/ niosh/docs/96-110/.

2. Witt, Brad: “Putting the Personal Back into PPE: Hearing Protector Effectiveness.” Occupational Health and Safety, June 76( 6), 90-4: 2007 [Online] Available at www.ohsonline. com/Articles/2007/06/Putting-the- Personal-Back-into-PPE-Hearing- Protector-Effectiveness.aspx.