Hearing Testing

Employers must provide annual audiograms within 1 year of the baseline. It is important to test workers’ hearing annually to identify deterioration in their hearing ability as early as possible.

Examinetics Test, Train & Counsel service, or TTC, completes the OSHA mandatory follow-up required for employees in your hearing conservation program.

Examinetics will:

• Test each employee, whether it be his or her baseline or annually required audiogram
• Train each employee through a video that encompasses the OSHA required components for annual hearing conservation annual training
• Counsel (explain) the test results each employee and provided written notification to employees showing a Standard Threshold Shift, or STS, and required by federal regulation. However, that’s not all. Examinetics goes beyond this mandate by providing written notification of results to each employee tested whether they show an STS or not. We think notifying employees who are doing well in protecting and preserving their hearing when their hearing has not changed significantly over time is a good idea as well.

Being prepared can help your testing day go smoothly. Please be aware of the following ways make your testing day more efficient.

• Have the right forms
• Have employees provide their hearing protection in person
• Limit excessive noise exposure before testing day: Motorcycling, firework explosions and Metallica concerts are just a few activities your employees should avoid the day before testing. While your employees should treat every day like testing day, limiting noise exposure outside of work 14 hours before testing can be quite beneficial for their baseline test.

After your hearing tests are completed there will be a physical report provided. 24 hours after completed testing, results are available in our online XM customer portal.

A Standard Threshold Shift, or STS, is defined in the occupational noise exposure standard at 29 CFR 1910.95(g)(10)(i) as a change in hearing threshold, relative to the baseline audiogram for that employee, of an average of 10 decibels (dB) or more at 2000, 3000, and 4000 hertz (Hz) in one or both ears. https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1904/1904.10

A Work Relatedness Evaluation (WRE) helps delineate if hearing loss is due to a worker’s environment or external factors.

The OSHA Form 300 is used to document all workplace illnesses and injuries. Hearing loss caused or aggravated by workplace noise is a workplace illness when the following conditions apply:

1. The current hearing test shows:
   • Average thresholds of >25dB at 2KHz, 3KHz and 4KHZ relative to audiometric zero, in either ear, and in the same ear, an
   • Average change of >10dB at 2KHz, 3KHz and 4KHZ compared to the baseline, in the same ear
2. Workplace noise caused or contributed to the average change in hearing. This can be determined through a thorough Work Relatedness Evaluation.

There are 12 languages offered through Salux. The choice of languages is English, Spanish, French, French Creole, Mandarin, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog (Filipino), Hmong, Swahili, Burmese, and Somali. At this time, the notification document is the only screen not in all languages, but the explanation is given in the chosen translation so the participant can under-stand the image of their graphed results.

NIOSH provides a free sound level meter app which can be used to determine if your testing environment should be compliant. You can download the app from the app store on an iOS device. More information can be found at: https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise/app.html.

Using the app, measure the ambient noise in your room. If the number in the LAeq [dB] field is under 45, your room should be ok for testing.

Measurements of 45dB or less do not guarantee that a room will be compliant when third octave band measurements are taken with a type 2 sound level meter. In addition, rooms with values greater than 45dB may be compliant when third octave band measurements are taken with a type 2 sound level meter. The LAeq measurement should simply be taken to generally determine if a room could be considered for testing. Final verification will have to be done with the Salux Calibration device prior to testing daily.

If you’re having trouble finding a room with an acceptable ambient noise level, move to a room without excessive HVAC noise and away from any nearby machinery. Conference rooms and guest offices are usually good choices.

Per 29 CFR 1910.95 (g), a microprocessor (computer driven/facilitated) audiometer does not need to be operated by a CAOHC certified technician. A technician who performs audiometric tests must be responsible to an audiologist, otolaryngologist, or physician. Since all the data will be coming through the Examinetics system for review, tests will be evaluated based on criteria established by our audiology staff.

Please note this exception: MSHA and the states of WA and OR do require CAOHC certification for any technician performing hearing tests

In our internal testing and in client use, the battery for the tablet and audiometer both lasted more than 8 hours of all-day testing.

We will have a support team on standby for any set up, general support or technical support. That team are also the tele-technicians. You can reach them by a dedicated toll-free number or email from 7:00 AM – 7:00 PM central time.

You must have Wi-Fi to use Salux. A Wi-Fi Hotspot or internet stick are options that will work.