What will the program achieve?
Research Goal 1.1 - Develop criteria and recommendations for preventing occupational hearing loss

We are presently engaged in research designed to better understand the hearing damage risk associated with impulsive noise. We are investigating the use of task-based exposure assessment models as a means for more accurately estimating workers’ exposures in highly variable noise environments. We are also re-examining which audiometric test frequencies are most effective for detecting occupationally-related hearing changes. Finally, we are developing alternative methods for determining age-related hearing changes, and how to apply population-based statistics to individual workers. The results of these efforts could lead to future NIOSH recommendations and revised criteria.