Many employees fail to insert hearing protection appropriately, which can result in ineffective hearing protection and permanent hearing loss. The most effective hearing conservation programs incorporate hearing protector fit testing to ensure their employees safety.
OSHA, NIOSH, and the U.S. DoD emphasize the importance of fit testing as a best practice to protect an employee’s hearing. While OSHA doesn’t necessarily require fit testing for a hearing protection device, the DoD has made it a requirement and both OSHA and NIOSH consider it best practice.
Fit testing is designed to quantitatively verify that a hearing protector device (HPD) is working properly. It is used to measure the effectiveness of HPDs while also providing an individual’s Personal Attenuation Rating (PAR) by measuring the amount of noise reduction that a HPD provides. This measure identifies those at risk for hearing loss as a result of poor fit and can ultimately prevent future degradation in hearing.