Hearing Conservation Program

What is the Hearing Conservation Program?

The Hearing Conservation Program course from the American Institute of Safety Professionals provides comprehensive training on designing, implementing, and managing workplace hearing conservation programmes per OSHA 29 CFR 1910.95 (Occupational Noise Exposure). Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is the most common occupational disease in the world and one of the most preventable. An estimated 22 million US workers are exposed to hazardous noise levels on the job, and once hearing is lost from noise exposure, it is permanent and irreversible — damaged cochlear hair cells do not regenerate. The hearing conservation programme is OSHA’s systematic approach to preventing this entirely avoidable occupational disease.

OSHA 29 CFR 1910.95 requires employers to implement a hearing conservation programme when workers are exposed to noise at or above 85 dBA as an 8-hour time-weighted average (the Action Level). The programme must include noise monitoring to identify exposed workers, audiometric testing to detect hearing changes before they become disabling, hearing protection devices provided at no cost with training on selection and use, feasible engineering and administrative controls to reduce noise exposure, annual training, and the recordkeeping that documents programme compliance. This course teaches every element of the programme from the regulatory requirements through the practical implementation that makes the programme work.

The curriculum covers the physics of sound and how noise damages hearing, OSHA noise exposure limits (PEL 90 dBA TWA, Action Level 85 dBA TWA, the 5 dB exchange rate), noise monitoring methods (dosimetry and sound level meters, area surveys versus personal monitoring), audiometric testing programme management (baseline audiograms, annual audiograms, Standard Threshold Shift determination and follow-up, audiometric testing requirements and technician qualifications), hearing protection device selection (NRR, real-world derating, earplug types, earmuff types, fit testing), engineering noise controls (enclosure, isolation, damping, substitution, maintenance), administrative controls (scheduling, rotation, job redesign), worker training requirements, programme recordkeeping, and the continuous improvement cycle that drives noise exposure below hazardous levels.

All training is delivered 100 percent online through Microsoft Teams and the American Institute of Safety Professionals Learning Management System (LMS). Upon successful completion, graduates receive an American Institute of Safety Professionals certificate, professional wallet card, and official transcript, all employer-verifiable at amiosp.com/student-verifications.

Who should take this course?

• Safety officers managing hearing conservation programmes in manufacturing, construction, oil and gas, mining, and any high-noise industry
• Occupational health nurses who manage audiometric testing programmes and STS follow-up
• Industrial hygienists who conduct noise monitoring and recommend controls
• Supervisors in high-noise operations (stamping, grinding, pneumatic tools, heavy equipment) responsible for hearing protection enforcement
• HR managers who manage audiometric testing scheduling, worker notifications, and programme records
• Safety managers evaluating the effectiveness of their existing hearing conservation programme
• Anyone designated to select, fit, or train workers on hearing protection devices

What will you study?

Credentials employers can verify in seconds