Link Audiology provides occupational hearing evaluations in Washington to ensure that businesses maintain compliance with OSHA’s hearing conservation requirements.
Link Audiology has been providing occupational hearing evaluations since 2019, helping businesses maintain compliance with OSHA’s hearing conservation requirements.
Our team includes two employees certified by the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC), ensuring that we bring specialized expertise to the table.
Understanding OSHA’s Hearing Conservation Requirements
OSHA mandates initial and annual hearing screenings for employees exposed to potentially hazardous noise levels of 85 decibels (dB) or above. This is a crucial part of a comprehensive hearing conservation program, which also includes administrative controls (like limiting noise exposure time or increasing distance from noise sources) and engineering controls (such as reducing noise from equipment and installing barriers). We help businesses comply with these regulations by providing the necessary hearing screenings and ensuring all documentation meets OSHA standards.
Our Hearing Evaluation Process
Our hearing evaluations for new and existing workers involve a thorough examination of both ears using an otoscope and a pure-tone hearing test across frequencies from 250 Hz to 8000 Hz. The results help us calculate pure-tone averages and assess any percentage of binaural impairment. The baseline evaluation for new workers is the same as the annual evaluation, allowing us to monitor changes in hearing over time. We apply age correction factors to distinguish between hearing loss due to aging and noise exposure. When significant changes occur, that evaluation becomes the new baseline for future comparisons.
Supporting Businesses with Compliance
We assist businesses by maintaining comprehensive records of all hearing screenings in a secure, cloud-based electronic health records system, ensuring easy access and proper documentation for OSHA compliance. While we do not offer on-site evaluations, many businesses prefer sending workers to us directly, allowing for flexible scheduling and personalized service. Workers can either schedule directly with our main office or through their occupational health clinic.
Worker Education and Hearing Protection
Though we currently do not offer formal training on noise exposure, we can provide this service upon request. We recommend a range of hearing protection devices (HPDs), including single-use foam earplugs, multi-use silicone earplugs, and custom-fit earplugs.
We educate workers on proper use and insertion techniques to maximize the effectiveness of these devices, emphasizing the importance of achieving the correct noise reduction rating (NRR).
Link Audiology: Building Strong Relationships with Local Businesses
Feedback from businesses and workers has been positive, with many appreciating the convenience and individual attention offered by our services. We continue to build strong relationships with local industries, including manufacturing, construction, law enforcement, fire departments, and the military, ensuring they meet OSHA’s noise exposure and hearing conservation standards.
For more information or to schedule a hearing evaluation, please contact Link Audiology.
We look forward to helping your business maintain OSHA compliance and protect your workers’ hearing health.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment with expert audiologists in Washington! Our audiology clinics are located in Silverdale, Vashon, and University Place.
