The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has announced the publication of a new Safety and Health Information Bulletin—Hearing Protector Fit Testing: Ensuring Appropriate Noise Protection at Work.
Hearing protector fit testing is an advancement in workplace hearing conservation that is recognized as a best practice. The new guidance explains how the testing can be used to ensure workers can achieve appropriate noise reduction with hearing protectors at work without interfering with their ability to hear important sounds around them (such as warning signals).
Although hearing protector fit testing is not mandated in OSHA regulations, the document gives employers and employees an overview of how the testing fits with the Occupational Noise Exposure standard (29 CFR 1910.95) to prevent hearing loss and provides resources for employers looking to implement the testing.
OSHA has adopted hearing protector fit testing as part of the OSHA Field Safety and Health Management System and encourages all employers who have noise-exposed employees to add this to their hearing conservation programs.
For more information, visit OSHA’s Occupational Noise Exposure Safety and Health Topics page.
