What's the difference between the Professional Supervisor (of the audiometric monitoring program) and the Supervisor of the Hearing Conservation Program - don't these two titles mean the same thing?

Response: No they do not. According to OSHA's Hearing Conservation Amendment, the Professional Supervisor of the audiometric testing component of a Hearing Conservation Program must be a licensed or certified audiologist, otolaryngologist, or other physician. This professional's responsibility is to ensure that audiograms for monitoring noise-exposed workers are being correctly performed and interpreted (see Scope of Practice: The Professional Supervisor of the Audiometric Monitoring Program). In this way, the Professional Supervisor may interact with the OHC in an advisory role.

In contrast, the supervisor of the hearing conservation program is typically a safety professional, human resources administrator, or other management level company personnel. This supervisor is responsible for the overall management and effectiveness of the hearing conservation program, and may also be the direct administrative supervisor of the OHC.