OSHA Publishes Guidance on Hearing-Protector Fit Testing

A new OSHA safety and health information bulletin describes the importance of hearing-protector fit testing to ensure workers achieve appropriate noise reduction. Although not required in OSHA standards, hearing-protector fit testing “can be a valuable training tool for workers,” the agency notes.

Selecting the right hearing-protective device, or HPD, allows workers to hear important sounds such as safety warnings and other communications while blocking hazardous noise. Repeated exposures to noise above 85 dBA can contribute to hearing loss, cardiovascular disease, and workplace injuries, OSHA states. Individualized fit testing ensures workers can properly insert HPDs into their ear canals.

The guidance explains the two types of hearing protector fit-testing systems. Subjective systems require workers to respond to sounds played through headphones, while objective systems use microphones to test sounds inside and outside of an inserted earplug. Objective systems may be available only for certain brands of HPDs.

When implementing hearing-protector fit testing, OSHA recommends that employers consider whether the system meets ASA/ANSI 12.71-2018, Performance Criteria for Systems that Estimate the Attenuation of Passive Hearing Protectors for Individual Users. Other factors to consider include whether the device can test all HPDs in the workplace and monitor background noise, the length of time required to administer individual tests, and the way the system reports personal attenuation ratings. A PAR indicates whether a worker attained adequate noise reduction through HPDs. Some systems report PAR as either pass or fail, while others report a numerical value, which may be more useful for workplaces with variable noise levels, according to OSHA.

The OSHA bulletin is available as a PDF.