I. Alliance Background
Date Signed
June 2, 2003
Evaluation Period
June 2, 2004 – June 1, 2005
Overview
OSHA's Alliance with NHCA focuses on preventing noise induced hearing loss in the workplace. In
addition, the organizations are using their collective expertise to help advance a culture of good
hearing health by developing and implementing Hearing Conservation Programs (HCPs) and Hearing Loss
Prevention Programs (HLPPs) while sharing best practices and technical knowledge.
Implementation Team Members
| OSHA |
|
Cathy Cronin
Deborah Gabry
Sandi Khan
Jack Standard |
Office of Training and Education (OTE)
Directorate of Science, Technology and Medicine (DSTM)
Office of Outreach Services and Alliances (OOSA)
OTE |
| |
|
| NHCA |
|
Rick Neitzel
Theresa Schulz
Carol M. Stephenson
Laurie Wells |
Director of Communication
Director of Education
Alliance Coordinator
President |
II. Implementation Team Meetings
August 17, 2004
September 14, 2004
January 18, 2005
May 20, 2005 |
Meeting, Teleconference
Meeting, Teleconference
Meeting, Teleconference
Meeting, Teleconference |
In addition to these formal meetings, the Alliance coordinators from both
groups maintained regular contact throughout the reporting period to monitor the Alliance’s
progress and results.
III. Results
- Events and Products
Training and Education Goal
- Develop training courses on noise and hearing loss prevention, including a "Train the Trainer
Course" for toolbox talks and a program for vocational school populations.
- No products or resources have been developed to meet this Alliance goal.
Outreach and Communication Goals
- Create and update electronic assistance tools for OSHA’s Web page that address noise and hearing
conservation for general industry, construction and maritime.
Products
OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages
Representatives from the OSHA-NHCA Alliance serve on the editorial boards for the following OSHA
Safety and Health Topics pages: Noise and Hearing Conservation and Construction – Noise and Hearing
Conservation. These pages are maintained as a product of the OSHA-NHCA Alliance. Please see the
addendum for a list of the NHCA members that are serving on the editorial boards.
OSHA eTool
Representatives from the OSHA-NHCA Alliance assisted in the development of OSHA’s Noise and Hearing
Conservation eTool that was posted on the OSHA Web site January 2005. NHCA representatives are
serving on the eTool’s editorial board and are maintaining the eTool as a product of the OSHA-NHCA
Alliance. Please see the addendum for the NHCA members that are serving on the editorial board for
the Noise and Hearing Conservation eTool.
- Collect, promote and share information on NHCA members’ best practices, as jointly determined by
OSHA and NHCA, with others in the occupational health and safety and hearing health care professions
through outreach by NHCA and OSHA.
No products or resources have been developed to meet this Alliance goal.
- Develop a guide for hearing protection (including a matrix for hearing protection devices’ usage
in various noise settings) that addresses best practices as jointly determined by OSHA and NHCA.
No products or resources have been developed for this Alliance goal.
- Design model HCP/HLPPs for the construction and maritime industries.
No products or resources have been developed to meet this Alliance goal.
- Work with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects for preventing Noise Induced
Hearing Loss (NIHL) that are addressed and developed through the Alliance Program.
The OSHA-NHCA Alliance is working with the National Association of Shooting Ranges (NASR), another
Alliance Program participant, to develop a hearing conservation brochure on NIHL, specific to indoor
shooting ranges.
Promoting the National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health Goals
- Convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions on HCP/HLPPs to help forge innovative
ways to prevent hearing loss in the workplace.
No opportunities were available to reach this Alliance goal.
- Develop and disseminate information at conferences and events, or through print and electronic
media, including links from OSHA’s and NHCA’s Web sites.
Events
NHCA 30th Annual Conference, February 24 – 26, 2005, Tucson, Arizona
Deborah Gabry, Health Scientist, DSTM, gave a presentation entitled "OSHA’s Alliance Program,"
focusing on the OSHA-NHCA Alliance during NHCA’s Annual Conference. Additionally, Ms. Gabry staffed
an OSHA-NHCA Alliance exhibit booth and distributed information products on the OSHA-NHCA Alliance,
the Alliance Program, and OSHA’s other cooperative programs and hearing conservation and personal
protective equipment.
NHCA-OSHA Alliance Web Page
The NHCA Web site features a NHCA-OSHA Alliance Web page that is updated regularly. The page
includes information on OSHA’s Alliance Program and links to the OSHA–NHCA Alliance Web page. The
NHCA Web page also highlights OSHA’s Noise and Hearing Conservation eTool, Safety and Health
Information Bulletin (SHIB) titled "Innovative Workplace Safety Accommodations for Hearing-Impaired
Workers, and Paula White Director, Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs, USDOL-OSHA,
opening address at the NHCA 29th Annual Conference in Seattle, Washington and an article by the past
NHCA President, Tim Bailey.
OSHA-NHCA Alliance Web Page
The OSHA-NHCA Alliance Web page on OSHA’s Web site continues to be updated with information on the
products, resources, activities, events, and the Alliances milestones and successes. The Web page is
updated on a regular basis. For information on the number of visits to the OSHA-NHCA Alliance Web
page, please see the Alliance Program Reach table.
Print and Electronic Media
Articles on the OSHA-NHCA Alliance and the OSHA Noise and Hearing Conservation eTool have appeared
in a number of printed and online publications, including OSHA’s News Releases, QuickTakes,
Occupational Safety and Health Reporter, insidehealthpolicy.com, and occupationalhazards.com. For
more information on the articles, please see the Alliance Program Reach.
- Executive Summary
Through the Alliance Program, OSHA and NHCA have reached out to NHCA’s members and others with
information, guidance, and access to training resources to help them protect employees’ health and
safety, particularly by addressing issues associated with NIHL and implementing HCPs and HLPPs.
The OSHA-NHCA Alliance Web page on OSHA’s Web site features links to related documents, activities
and events, products and resources, and milestones and successes. The NHCA-OSHA Alliance Web page on
NHCA’s Web site features OSHA’s Noise and Hearing Conservation eTool and OSHA’s new SHIB,
"Innovative Workplace Safety Accommodations for Hearing-Impaired Workers."
NHCA representatives on the implementation team helped to review and revise OSHA’s Noise and
Hearing Conservation and Construction-Noise and Hearing Conservation Safety and Health Topics
pages. OSHA-NHCA Alliance team members provided expert advice and review during the development of
OSHA’s Noise and Hearing Conservation eTool that was launched in January 2005. The OSHA-NHCA
Alliance maintains OSHA’s Noise and Hearing Conservation Safety and Health Topics pages and OSHA’s
Noise and Hearing Conservation eTool as products of the Alliance. Please see the addendum for the
NHCA members that are serving on the editorial boards for OSHA’s Noise and Hearing Conservation
Safety and Health Topics pages and the Noise and Hearing Conservation eTool. In addition, NHCA
members reviewed and provided comments on OSHA’s SHIB "Innovative Workplace Safety Accommodations
for Hearing-Impaired Workers."
Further, representatives from the OSHA-NHCA Alliance made presentations and exhibited at the 2005
NHCA Annual 30th Hearing Conservation Conference.
- Alliance Program Reach
| Type of Activity (Conference,
Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.) |
Number of Individuals Reached or
Trained |
| Noise and Hearing Conservation Safety and Health
Topics page |
67,000 |
| Noise and Hearing Conservation eTool |
|
| September 2004 – NHCA launches expanded NHCA-OSHA Web
page on the NHCA Web site |
Data not available |
| January 31, 2005 - "OSHA Unveils Web Site on Noise
and Hearing Conservation Developed in Cooperation with the National Hearing Conservation
Association," OSHA News Release |
42 News Services |
| January 31, 2005 - "OSHA Unveils Web Site on Noise
and Hearing Conservation" oshainstitute.com |
Data not available |
| February 1, 2005 – "New Web Page Highlights Noise and
Hearing Conservation," OSHA’s bi-weekly e-newsletter, QuickTakes |
5,000 |
February 1, 2005 – "OSHA Aims to Prevent Occupational
Hearing Loss"
Business and Legal Reports |
Data not available |
| February 1, 2005 – "OSHA Unveils Web Site on Noise
and Hearing Conservation" Occupational Hazards |
Data not available |
February 1, 2005 – "OSHA Aims to Prevent Occupational
Hearing Loss"
OSHA Defense League Compliance Newsletter |
Data not available |
| February 1, 2005 – "OSHA Unveils Web Site on Noise
and Hearing Conservation" usernomics.com |
Data not available |
| February 9, 2005 – "OSHA Unveils Web Site on Noise
and Hearing Conservation" Association of Equipment Manufacturers Newsletter |
Data not available |
February 11, 2005 - "OSHA Highlights"
WM Environmental Insights |
Data not available |
February 14, 2005 - "Noise and Hearing Conservation
eTool Unveiled"
CCH NetNews |
Data not available |
February 14, 2005 - "OSHA Unveils Web Site on Noise
and Hearing Conservation Developed in Cooperation with the National Hearing Conservation
Association"
Saf-T-Gardian Newsletter |
Data not available |
February 24-26: 2005 - NHCA 30th Annual Conference,
Tucson, Arizona
- Speaker: Deborah Gabry, Health Scientist, Director of Science, Technology and Medicine,
USDOL-OSHA "OSHA’s Alliance Program."
- OSHA-NHCA Alliance shared an exhibit booth during the conference.
|
|
250 |
March 1, 2005 - "OSHA Unveils Web Site on Noise and
Hearing Conservation"
The Chief Engineer |
Data not available |
March 2005 - "OSHA Web Site on Noise and Hearing
Conservation"
Zephyr Newsletter |
Data not available |
March 2005 - "OSHA Unveils Website on Hearing
Conservation"
Loss Control Insights News Releases |
Data not available |
March 2005 - "OSHA Unveils Web Site on Noise and
Hearing Conservation"
Facilities Management News |
Data not available |
March 2005 - "Web Resource Addresses Occupational
Noise"
National Safety Council Safety Focus, Division Newsletter |
Data not available |
January 31, 2005 - "OSHA Unveils Web Site on Noise
and Hearing Conservation Developed in Cooperation with the National Hearing Conservation
Association"
OSHA News Release |
42 News Services |
April 2005 - OSHA Unveils Web Site on Noise and
Hearing Conservation
International Occupational Health and Safety Information Centres CIS Newsletter |
Data not available |
April 2005 - OSHA Unveils Website on Hearing
Conservation
EMC Insurance Companies – News Release |
Data not available |
| April 2005 - OSHA’s eTool to Help Prevent Hearing
Loss (Manufacturers’ Association of Northwest Pennsylvania - Business Magazine |
Data not available |
| April 2005 - OSHA Unveils Hearing Conservation Web
Site (Masonry Magazine |
Data not available |
| April 2005 - Noise and Hearing Conservation Website
(American Society of Safety Engineers - Nutmeg News) |
Data not available |
| TOTAL |
72,250 |
IV. Upcoming Milestones
OSHA and NHCA will discuss the potential renewal of the Alliance agreement and identify
opportunities to continue to provide information, guidance, and access to training resources to
protect employees’ health and safety, particularly the prevention of noise-induced hearing loss and
the implementation of HCPs and HLPPs.
NHCA will continue to work with the NASR to develop a hearing conservation NIHL brochure for indoor
shooting ranges. Dr. Teresa Schultz, NHCA Education Director, volunteered to take the lead in
developing the brochure because of her expertise and background as a competitive shooter.
NHCA representatives will continue to serve on the editorial boards for OSHA’s Noise and Hearing
Conservation and Construction-Noise and Hearing Conservation Safety and Health Topics pages and
eTool. In addition, NHCA will also review and provide comments on OSHA documents as requested.
Report prepared by: Sandi Khan, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances,
July 14, 2005.
Addendum
NHCA representatives serving on the editorial pages for OSHA’s Noise and Hearing Conservation and
Construction- Noise and Hearing Conservation Safety and Health Topics page and the OSHA Noise eTool:
Carol M. Stephenson, National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA)
National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH), Cincinnati OH
Ted Madison, President, NHCA, 3M Company, St Paul, MN
Rick Neitzel, Director of Communication, NHCA, University of Washington Dept. of Environmental &
Occupational Health Sciences, Seattle, WA
Theresa Schulz, Director of Education, NHCA, Sonomax Hearing Healthcare, Fall Branch, TN
Laurie Wells, President-Elect, NHCA, Associates In Acoustics, Loveland, CO
Randy Tubbs, NIOSH, Cincinnati OH
John Elmore, NHCA, Precision Hearing Conservation, Helotes, TX
Lee Hager, NHCA, Sonomax Hearing Healthcare, Portland, MI
Mary McDaniel, NHCA, Pacific Hearing Conservation, Inc., Seattle, WA
Dennis Driscoll, NHCA, Associates in Acoustics, Evergreen, CO
Deanna Meinke, NHCA, University of Northern Colorado, Greeley, CO
James Lankford, NHCA, Professor Emeritus, University of Northern Illinois, Dekalb, IL
Tim Bailey, NHCA, Quest Technologies, Inc., Oconomowoc, WI
|
Printing Instructions
Back to Top
www.osha.gov
