Definition - What does recordable hearing loss mean?
A recordable hearing loss is a hearing loss that is required to be reported in the OSHA 300 Log pursuant to federal law. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations define when a shift in hearing capacity must be recorded and tracked as a part of an employer's hearing conservation program. In general, recordable hearing losses are those that would indicate a problem with the employer's workplace hearing conservation program or a problem with individual employee's exposure to on the job hearing hazards.
SureHire explains recordable hearing loss
Recordable hearing loss is a term used in OSHA guidelines. Under OSHA 's guidelines, a hearing loss is recordable in the 300 Log when an employee's hearing test indicates that he or she has experienced a standard threshold shift (STS) in one or both ears. To be qualify, this STS must be work-related and the employee must still be able to hear at a level of 25 decibels (dB) or more above the stated levels. An employee has had a STS if his or her hearing shifts by an average of 10 dB from his or her baseline audiogram results at any of the designated hearing levels. Hearing loss that is deemed to be caused by aging or non-work related hazards is not a recordable hearing loss. The goal of recordable hearing loss reporting is to catch potential problems before they become widespread in a workforce, or particularly severe.
