South Carolina Code of Regulations › Chapter 71 - DEPARTMENT OF LABOR, LICENSING AND REGULATION-DIVISION OF LABOR › Article 1 - OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH REGULATIONS › Subarticle 3 - RECORDING AND REPORTING OCCUPATIONAL INJURIES AND ILLNESSES › Subpart C - Recording Criteria › Section 71-310 - Recording criteria for cases involving occupational hearing loss

Current through Register Vol. 48, No. 6, June 28, 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 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 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 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
				  71-305
				  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, following the rules set out
				  in Section 71-305, that the hearing loss is not work-related or that
				  occupational noise exposure did not significantly aggravate the hearing loss,
				  you do not have 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 column for hearing loss. (Note:
				  S.C. Code of Regulations Section 71-310(b)(7) is effective beginning January 1,
				  2004.) (Cross Reference: 1904.10)