Hearing Conservation Practices for Workers with Hearing Loss

Published: Monday, March 9th, 2020
Author: Jackie DiFrancesco, Jennifer Tufts, Torri Ann Woodruff

Workers with hearing loss (WWHL) pose a unique challenge for hearing conservation professionals who seek to make hearing protection recommendations. The simultaneous need to attenuate hazardous noise and retain the audibility of speech or other important sounds is a “Catch-22” without an easy answer.

University student musician noise-dosage study

Published: Monday, March 9th, 2020
Author: Kieren H. Smith, Tracianne B. Neilsen, Jeremy Grimshaw

A risk factor shared by all musicians is a potential for noise induced
hearing loss. A study was conducted to explore what factors
determine noise dosage during musical events experienced by college
student musicians.

How to Manage an Effective Hearing Conservation Program

Published: Monday, March 9th, 2020
Author: Timothy Hicks, MSPH, CIH, CSP

Mature hearing conservation programs have identified workplace noise sources of concern and have hopefully managed them to reduce the magnitude of exposure at the point of impact, the aural zone. In some fixed facilities with heavy, rotating industrial equipment this may be next to impossible

Hearing Loss Prevention Program Manager

Published: Tuesday, March 3rd, 2020
Author: CAOHC Staff

Based on frequent inquiries and much demand for information about the Hearing Loss Prevention Program Manager, a targeted course has been constructed on this topic and will be held at the AIHce EXP 2020 on Thursday, June 4, 2020 in Atlanta, GA. CAOHC council member, Andrew Perkins, MS CIH CSP is the lead instructor for this new half-day session...

In Memory of Robert A. Dobie

Published: Wednesday, September 18th, 2019
Author: CAOHC Staff

Robert A. Dobie, M.D., age 74, passed away on Wednesday, September 4, 2019, in San Antonio, Texas. Robert Dobie (Bob) previously served on the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC) and made a tremendous impact in hearing conservation during his 10 years...

CAOHC Council Members Recognize an Influential Leader

Published: Wednesday, September 11th, 2019
Author: CAOHC Staff

“I’ve always been interested in being a good leader. I was fortunate to have those skills,” said Donald (Bruce) Kirchner in response to the accolades he got from other members on the CAOHC Council. Bruce’s term ended from the Council after 10 years in various leadership roles.

Workplace Noise Video is Now Available

Published: Wednesday, July 31st, 2019
Author: CAOHC Staff

The CAOHC council is pleased to announce the release of our newest training video entitled “Workplace Noise; Measurement and Controls”. This project was led by council member Brent Charlton and was produced with the help of a volunteer panel of experts.

Letter to the Editor

Published: Wednesday, July 17th, 2019
Author: Michael Weider

We are writing to outline concerns we have with the article published in the CAOHC UPDATE Newsletter Volume 31, Issue 2 entitled The Future of Hearing Conservation. The article contains the following inaccuracies about tablet audiometers and, as the only vendor cited in the article, about our product, SHOEBOX Audiometry, specifically.

Safe-in-Sound Award: And the Winner Is . . .

Published: Wednesday, May 22nd, 2019
Author: Scott Schneider

The Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Award™ is a partnership between the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA) and the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC). The objective of this initiative is to obtain information about real-world successful hearing loss prevention programs and public health practices currently used in industry and disseminate it widely. By disseminating evidence-based strategies, Safe-in-Sound™ enables other groups to effectively advance hearing loss prevention practice.

The Future of Hearing Conservation

Published: Sunday, May 12th, 2019
Author: Robert Dietz

During the 1980’s, audiometer manufacturers began embracing microprocessor technology. Since then, technological innovation has introduced smart phones, tablets, and the mobile internet which has led to commercially available tablet audiometers. They are advertised as “easy-to-use audiometer(s) designed for non-Audiologists to conduct automated diagnostic hearing testing outside of a sound booth”. Manufacturers of these devices claim that they are clinically validated, ANSI and ISO compliant, NOAH Certified, HIPAA compliant and cost effective. So, how do these tablets and apps compare with conventional hearing conservation testing systems using microprocessor audiometers, electro-acoustic simulators and noise attenuating sound booths? Are they ready to be embraced by hearing conservation professionals?

New Video Coming Soon

Published: Saturday, May 11th, 2019
Author: CAOHC Staff

Stay tuned as final edits and approvals are made for the new Workplace Noise: Measurement and Controls video. This video is the work of subject matter experts.