Practical Implementation of Hearing Protector Fit Testing – Outcomes of the International Hearing Protector Fit-Testing Symposium

Details

• Personal Author:
  Blank A ; Graydon PS ; Le Prell CG ; Murphy MJ ; Schulz TY ; Themann, Christa L. ; Wells LL
• Description:
  Hearing protector fit testing (HPFT) has achieved wider acceptance in civilian and military occupational hearing loss prevention programs. At the International Hearing Protector Fit Testing Symposium, various studies and efforts to implement fit testing with workers and service members were reviewed. Research indicates that HPFT identified persons who did not achieve adequate attenuation and who subsequently improved following instruction. Fit testing was reported to be an effective approach to train new employees to select and properly fit hearing protection suited to the employees' noise exposures. A forthcoming systematic review found moderate evidence that HPFT with individualized training was effective to improve the personal attenuation rating (PAR) for workers. However, simple instructions had little if any effect on PAR. Only a small number of studies provided high-quality evidence - a research need cited across presentations. Nonetheless, the evidence is sufficient such that the recently revised Department of Defense Instruction 6055.12 includes regular HPFT for select categories of noise-exposed service members and civilian workers. This paper reviews the evidence for HPFT effectiveness, proposes methods to efficiently implement HPFT, describes instructions for workers, and develops the business case for HPFT. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Hearing Hearing Loss Occupational Health Personal Protective Equipment Safety Staff Development
• Keywords:
  Fit Testing Hearing Loss Prevention Hearing Protection Sound Attenuation Training
• ISSN:
  1939-800X
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Proceedings
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; Minnesota ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 6 ; Texas
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DFSE - Division of Field Studies and Engineering
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  53
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20069723
• Citation:
  Proc Mtgs Acoust 2024 Apr; 53(1):002003
• Contact Point Address:
  Theresa Y. Schulz, Defense Health Agency, Hearing Center of Excellence, Joint Base San Antonio Lackland, TX 78236, USA
• Email:
  theresa.y.schulz.civ@health.mil
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• NORA Priority Area:
  Manufacturing ; Services
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Proceedings of Meetings on Acoustics. International Hearing Protector Fit-Testing Symposium, IHPFTS 2023, August 18-19, 2023, Dallas, Texas
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:f81a19f96daba2c40a1aae5d2a59fee909b9d046a449d8f2f3ae22c88b6d199b668785546cf848b0216ba1055e07dc6c98578b6f68edae0913221b39a5b296a2
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208091/cdc_208091_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 4.52 MB ]