Meet the 2011 Safe-in-Sound Award winners and find out what they do to protect their employees’ hearing.
The Safe-in-Sound Excellence and Innovation in Hearing Loss Prevention Awards™ honor excellent hearing loss prevention practices in the work environment. Applicants are evaluated against key performance indicators in a review process designed to evaluate hearing loss prevention programs in each of three work sectors:
- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Service
A fourth award for Innovation in Hearing Loss Prevention may also be presented to recognize an individual or business, regardless of sector.
NIOSH and the National Hearing Conservation Association have partnered since 2007 to present the Safe-in-Sound Awards.
The 2011 Safe-in-Sound Awards were presented at the 36th Annual Hearing Conservation Conference in February in Mesa, Arizona. This year two awards were presented—one for the manufacturing sector and one for the service sector.
“Noise-induced hearing loss can affect workers in any sector of the workforce,” said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D., in his remarks at the conference. “This year’s winners show us the power of teamwork and ingenuity in developing innovative solutions to protect workers from the home front to the front lines.”
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Manufacturing sector winner: Shaw Industries Group, Fibers Division, Plant WM, GA. Shaw Industries Group, Inc., a subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc., is the world’s largest carpet manufacturer and a leading floor covering provider. The Fibers Division is responsible for yarn production, an inherently noisy process. The award recognizes the company’s achievements in noise control, hearing loss prevention, and the continuous effort to improve the quality of several hearing loss prevention program components, including:
- Noise measurement
- Engineering and administrative noise control initiatives
- Provision of a wider selection of hearing protection devices
- Fit-test verification of the attenuation provided by the devices
- Audiometric testing
- Training and program evaluation
- Facilitating the adoption of their strategies by other facilities within the company
Service sector winner: Captain Leanne Cleveland and the Fort Carson Army Hearing Program in Colorado Springs, CO. Captain Cleveland (from the Army Medical Department) and the Fort Carson Hearing Program team were recognized for their innovative efforts to implement the far-reaching changes in the Army Hearing Program. The elements of this program include:
- Timely hearing testing
- Multi-level educational programs
- Hearing program officer integration
- Expanded hearing protection options
- Appropriate amplification matched to a soldier’s work-related hearing demands Commitment to each individual at risk of noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus (civilian or soldier)
The pilot program outcomes have significant implications for system-wide advances in both civilian and military hearing loss prevention programs.
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Ready-Made Checklists
BLR’s Safety Audit Checklists provides safety and health checklists on more than 50 essential workplace topics, including hearing protection, to help you develop award-winning safety programs.
Each Safety Audit Checklists section contains:
- A review of applicable OSHA standards
- Safety management tips
- Training requirements
- At least one comprehensive safety checklist
Many sections also contain a compliance checklist, which highlights key provisions of OSHA standard. All checklists can be copied and circulated to supervisors and posted for employees.
All told, this best-selling program provides you with more than 300 separate safety checklists keyed to three main criteria:
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Make as many copies as you need for all your supervisors and managers, and distribute. What’s more, the entire program is updated annually. And the cost averages only about $1 per checklist.
If this method of ensuring a safer, more OSHA-compliant workplace interests you, we’ll be happy to make Safety Audit Checklists available for a no-cost, no-obligation, 30-day evaluation in your office. Just let us know, and we’ll be pleased to arrange it.