The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), in partnership with the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA), announces the recipients of the 2010 Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Awards(tm), honoring those who have shown their dedication to the prevention of noise-induced hearing loss through innovative or excellent hearing loss prevention practices in the work environment.

The awards were presented at the 35th Annual Hearing Conservation Conference on February 26, 2010 in Orlando, Florida.

The award honors hearing loss prevention programs in the construction, manufacturing, and service sectors. In addition, it recognizes individuals or organizations for innovation in hearing loss prevention and their dedication to fostering and implementing new and

"This year's awardees highlight how work-related hearing loss affects people across all industry sectors," said NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard. "The impact of partnerships and innovation in developing solutions and policies to address the preventable problem of work-related hearing loss is clear in these initiatives."

The 2010 recipients were:

Etymotic Research, Inc.; the New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYC DEP) and Parsons Brinckerhoff, Inc. (PB); and Dr. Kris Chesky and the College of Music, University of North Texas.