[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 29, Volume 5]
[Revised as of July 1, 2006]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 29CFR]

[Page 54-55]
 
                             TITLE 29--LABOR
 
CHAPTER XVII--OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT 
                                OF LABOR
 
Part 1904_Recording and Reporting Occupational Injuries and Illnesses
--Table of Contents
 
          Subpart C_Recordkeeping Forms and Recording Criteria
 
Sec.  1904.10  Recording criteria for cases involving occupational hearing 
loss.

    (a) Basic requirement. If an employee's hearing test (audiogram) 
reveals that the employee has experienced a work-related Standard 
Threshold Shift (STS) in hearing in one or both ears, and the employee's 
total hearing level is 25 decibels (dB) or more above audiometric zero 
(averaged at 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz) in the same ear(s) as the STS, you 
must record the case on the OSHA 300 Log.
    (b) Implementation--(1) What is a Standard Threshold Shift? A 
Standard Threshold Shift, or STS, is defined in the occupational noise 
exposure standard at 29 CFR 1910.95(g)(10)(i) as a change in hearing 
threshold, relative to the baseline audiogram for that employee, of an 
average of 10 decibels (dB) or more at 2000, 3000, and 4000 hertz (Hz) 
in one or both ears.
    (2) How do I evaluate the current audiogram to determine whether an 
employee has an STS and a 25-dB hearing level?--(i) STS. If the employee 
has never previously experienced a recordable hearing loss, you must 
compare the employee's current audiogram with that employee's baseline 
audiogram. If the employee has previously experienced a recordable 
hearing loss, you must compare the employee's current audiogram with the 
employee's revised baseline audiogram (the audiogram reflecting the 
employee's previous recordable hearing loss case).
    (ii) 25-dB loss. Audiometric test results reflect the employee's 
overall hearing ability in comparison to audiometric zero. Therefore, 
using the employee's current audiogram, you must use the average hearing 
level at 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz to determine whether or not the 
employee's total hearing level is 25 dB or more.
    (3) May I adjust the current audiogram to reflect the effects of 
aging on hearing? Yes. When you are determining whether an STS has 
occurred, you may age adjust the employee's current audiogram results by 
using Tables F-1 or F-2, as appropriate, in Appendix F of 29 CFR 
1910.95. You may not use an age adjustment when determining whether the 
employee's total hearing level is 25 dB or more above audiometric zero.
    (4) Do I have to record the hearing loss if I am going to retest the 
employee's hearing? No, if you retest the employee's hearing within 30 
days of the first test, and the retest does not confirm

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the recordable STS, you are not required to record the hearing loss case 
on the OSHA 300 Log. If the retest confirms the recordable STS, you must 
record the hearing loss illness within seven (7) calendar days of the 
retest. If subsequent audiometric testing performed under the testing 
requirements of the Sec.  1910.95 noise standard indicates that an STS 
is not persistent, you may erase or line-out the recorded entry.
    (5) Are there any special rules for determining whether a hearing 
loss case is work-related? No. You must use the rules in Sec.  1904.5 to 
determine if the hearing loss is work-related. If an event or exposure 
in the work environment either caused or contributed to the hearing 
loss, or significantly aggravated a pre-existing hearing loss, you must 
consider the case to be work related.
    (6) If a physician or other licensed health care professional 
determines the hearing loss is not work-related, do I still need to 
record the case?
    If a physician or other licensed health care professional determines 
that the hearing loss is not work-related or has not been significantly 
aggravated by occupational noise exposure, you are not required to 
consider the case work-related or to record the case on the OSHA 300 
Log.
    (7) How do I complete the 300 Log for a hearing loss case? When you 
enter a recordable hearing loss case on the OSHA 300 Log, you must check 
the 300 Log column for hearing loss.
    (Note: Sec.  1904.10(b)(7) is effective beginning January 1, 2004.)

[67 FR 44047, July 1, 2002, as amended at 67 FR 77170, Dec. 17, 2002]