An overview of hearing conservation practices in the U.S.A

Abstract

Federal governmental regulations dealing with the prevention of occupational noise-induced hearing loss began in 1969 with the publication of the Walsh–Healey Act and was extended to general occupations when the U.S. Department of Labor published the OSHA (U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration) regulations in 1971. Finally, required procedures for developing an acceptable hearing conservation program were promulgated in 1983. This presentation will briefly review the history and implementation of the OSHA regulations in U.S. industry. In addition, the present activities by U.S. industry in implementing the OSHA regulations and by OSHA in enforcing them will be reviewed to answer the question: ‘‘Is the present implementation of the OSHA noise regulations effective in preventing noise-induced hearing loss in U.S. occupational environments?’’