California Code of Regulations › Title 8 - Industrial Relations › Division 1 - Department of Industrial Relations › Chapter 7 - Department of Industrial Relations › Subchapter 1 - Occupational Injury or Illness Reports and Records › Article 2 - Employer Records of Occupational Injury or Illness › Section 14300.10 - Recording Criteria for Cases Involving Occupational Hearing Loss

Current through Register 2024 Notice Reg. No. 28, July 12, 2024
(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 Cal/OSHA
					 Form 300.
(b) Implementation.
(1) What is a Standard Threshold Shift? A
					 Standard Threshold Shift, or STS, is defined in the occupational noise exposure
					 standard at section
					 5097(d)(8) 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 as appropriate, in Appendix F of Title 8 General Industry Safety
						Orders, Article 105, section
						5095 to
						5100. 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 the recordable STS, you are
						not required to record the hearing loss case on the Cal/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 noise standard at section
						5097 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 section
						14300.5 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 Cal/OSHA Form
						300.
(7) How do I complete
					 the Form 300 for a hearing loss case?
When you enter a recordable hearing loss case on the
						Cal/OSHA Form 300, you must check the 300 Log column for hearing
						loss.