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Home >> About
Us >> Learn More About Hearing Conservation
Hearing conservation is the prevention of hearing loss. Although
traditional hearing conservation efforts have focused solely
on noise in the workplace, the goal of the National Hearing
Conservation Association (NHCA) is to prevent ALL hearing loss
- whether it results from workplace noise or other environmental
factors - in all sectors of society. NHCA strives to
be the premier resource for individuals involved in hearing
loss prevention.
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NHCA has worked
with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA) to develop an "e-tool" on hearing conservation which
is now available on the OSHA
website. OSHA also has other materials available
on noise
and hearing conservation.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) has a useful page on
Work-Related Hearing Loss, and has created two particularly
helpful documents on noise and hearing loss:
- "Preventing Occupational Hearing Loss - A Practical
Guide." 1996, edited by John R. Franks, Mark Stephenson,
and Carol Merry, published by the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services. (Publication No. 96-110).
Provides checklists and other information for evaluating
hearing conservation programs. Available in print
and online
at the NIOSH website.
- "Occupational Noise Exposure Revised Criteria 1998."
1998, published by the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (Publication No. 98-126). Provides
recommendations for best practices in hearing conservation
programs. Available in print and online
at the NIOSH website.
NIOSH also provides many other useful documents and
materials on hearing conservation. These include:
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| There are a
number of NHCA members
who provide consulting services, including guidance on
developing hearing conservation programs and materials. In
addition, NHCA has developed educational
materials
on hearing conservation, including a series of practical
guides on hearing conservation topics. The
NHCA website contains a searchable
bibliography
on hearing conservation-related materials (courtesy of
Elliott Berger at E-A-R) which includes hundreds of useful
articles on noise and hearing loss. The website also
contains information on various hearing conservation regulatory
requirements. NHCA has recently published
an electronic series of Practical
Guides on hearing conservation.
NHCA
is currently working to develop a model hearing conservation
program for several industries, including construction. |
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| One of the best opportunities
for learning about effective hearing conservation programs
and efforts is the annual NHCA conference. The 2007
NHCA conference
will take place in Savannah, GA from February 15-17, 2007. This
conference represents an excellent opportunity to meet
other hearing conservation professionals and to get updated
on the latest research and best practices. |
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Membership
in NHCA
provides access to a number of useful members-only resources,
including Spectrum, the
publication of NHCA,
proceedings of previous conferences,
access to draft guidelines and recommended practices, a
searchable online membership directory, and more.
There are a number of other organizations involved
in hearing conservation-related efforts. However, NHCA is the
only organization dedicated to preventing hearing loss from all sources.
To become a member of NHCA or request additional information, please contact
us. |
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