NIOSH is interested in strengthening its efforts to prevent hearing loss in the workplace. It’s estimated that more than 22 million workers are exposed to hazardous noise on the job and an additional nine million are at risk for hearing loss from other agents such as solvents and metals, according to NIOSH.

Through a recently-posted blog on its website (www.cdc.gov/niosh/blog), NIOSH would like to learn more about:

• Practices that have proven useful to promote the use of noise control in the workplace
• Government policies that can be improved to promote effective hearing conservation practices
• Tools that have been effective in promoting the use of hearing protection with workers
• Successes in integrating hearing protectors into hearing conservation programs
• Mechanisms that have been effective in training and engaging workers' participation in the hearing conservation program
• Economic benefits from quieting the environment (noise control) over using hearing protection. For example, has the elimination of the hearing conservation program due to the control of noise in the workplace led to a reduction in accidents, increased cost savings from not having to buy hearing protection and scheduling annual audiograms, or increased worker morale?

Address your comments in the space provided beneath the blog entry.

The hearing loss blog was written by Capt. William Murphy, Ph.D., and SangWoo Tak, Sc.D., MPH. Dr. Murphy is the co-leader of the Hearing Loss Prevention Team in the NIOSH Division of Applied Research.