Recommendations Regarding the Effects of Audiometric Test-Retest Reliability on the Development of OSHA Standard Threshold Shift Criteria and Recording of Work-Related Material Hearing Loss
Abstract
The 3 July 2001 issue of the FEDERAL REGISTER provided notification of a proposed delay for the effective date regarding the recording of OSHA occupational hearing loss. OSHA requested comments on several issues related to appropriate criteria for recording cases of occupational hearing loss. The NSMRL Hearing Conservation Team had performed work pertaining to two of these issues: 1) What is the variability of audiometric testing? and 2) How should variability be taken into account in the recordkeeping rule? NSMRL had performed measurements of both manual and automated audiometric test-retest reliability in field settings using the standard error of measurement (SEmeas). The SEmeas is a statistical procedure that can be used with a minimum of two tests per person and can also be used to empirically develop STS and recordability criterion that will potentially reduce the number of false positive threshold shift determinations. Results from NSMRL studies showed that any criterion used to determine either significant or standard hearing threshold shift must take test-retest reliability into account as measured in non-noise exposed control groups that were in the same physical and mental state and tested in the same manner as the noise-exposed population. It was strongly recommended that further work be done in this area using representative samples of non-noise exposed control subjects, at multiple test sites. In this manner, average test-retest reliability ranges will be empirically obtained and can be used to determine more appropriate STS criteria and to ensure the accuracy of hearing threshold levels used for recording purposes. These results were provided in an NSMRL letter to OSHA in September 2001 as input regarding possible revision of the OSHA hearing loss record keeping rule. NSMRL's recommendations were cited in the July 2002 issue of the Federal Register.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 23, 2003
- Accession Number
- ADA572238
Entities
People
- Judi L. Miller
- Keith S. Wolgemuth
- Lynne Marshall
Organizations
- Naval Submarine Medical Research Laboratory