OSHA Hearing Conservation Testing

If noise levels in your Gwinnett County facility average 85 decibels or higher over an 8-hour shift, federal law requires more than earplugs on a shelf. OSHA’s Occupational Noise Exposure standard, 29 CFR 1910.95, requires a complete hearing conservation program — and audiometric testing is the piece that catches hearing loss early, before it becomes permanent and before it becomes a workers’ compensation claim. Hearing Aid Factory Outlet provides baseline, annual, and specialty workplace hearing testing for employers across Lawrenceville, greater Gwinnett County, and Metro Atlanta.

Why Local Employers Can’t Skip This

Gwinnett County is home to a dense mix of manufacturing plants, distribution and logistics centers, food and beverage processing facilities, and industrial parks along the I-85 and I-985 corridors — exactly the kind of workplaces where noise exposure regularly crosses OSHA’s action level. Once any employee’s exposure reaches that threshold, the compliance clock starts, whether you employ 12 people or 1,200.

Occupational hearing loss is permanent once it happens — there is no treatment that restores noise-induced damage. That is exactly why OSHA built audiometric testing into the standard: to catch a threshold shift while it is still small enough to act on, through better hearing protection, retraining, or a change in duty, rather than after a worker has already lost part of their hearing for good.

When an OSHA Hearing Conservation Program Applies

Under 29 CFR 1910.95, employers must enroll workers in a hearing conservation program once their noise exposure reaches an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels — OSHA’s “action level.” A separate, higher threshold, the 90-decibel permissible exposure limit (PEL), triggers additional obligations, including mandatory hearing protector use and feasible engineering or administrative controls.

Employers remain responsible for determining which standards apply to their workplace, for noise monitoring, and for managing the complete compliance program. Our role is to provide qualified audiometric testing and clear, usable reporting within the scope you need.

The Five Elements OSHA Requires

• Noise monitoring — identifying which employees are exposed at or above the action level
• Audiometric testing — a baseline audiogram followed by annual testing for every covered employee
• Hearing protection — provided to covered employees at no cost, in a variety of styles
• Annual training — covering noise effects on hearing, protector use, and the testing program itself
• Recordkeeping — audiometric records generally retained for the duration of employment plus additional years

Audiometric testing is only one piece — but it is the piece that tells you, in hard numbers, whether the rest of the program is actually working.

Our Testing Services

• Baseline audiograms for newly covered employees
• Annual audiograms for workers already enrolled in a hearing conservation program
• Comparison of current results against available baseline information
• Identification of results that need review, retest, or referral under your program
• On-site or mobile audiometric testing when scheduling and site conditions allow
• Coordination with employer safety, human-resources, or occupational-health personnel
• Sound-booth testing at our Lawrenceville clinic for smaller groups or individual employees

Baseline and Annual Audiograms

A valid baseline establishes the reference point used to evaluate every future test. OSHA generally requires a baseline within six months of an employee’s first exposure at or above the action level (or within one year if mobile testing is used, provided hearing protectors are worn in the interim), followed by annual audiograms for as long as the employee remains covered.

Read our full breakdown of baseline and annual audiograms.

Standard Threshold Shift Follow-Up

OSHA defines a standard threshold shift (STS) as an average change of 10 decibels or more at 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz in either ear, compared to that employee’s baseline. An STS doesn’t necessarily mean a citation is coming — it means your program’s follow-up process needs to kick in.

That follow-up typically includes employee notification in writing, a review of hearing protector fit and use, retraining, and — where appropriate — retesting or referral for further evaluation. A workplace audiogram is a screening tool, not a diagnostic exam; when a result raises a genuine clinical concern, we’ll tell you plainly that it warrants a full evaluation rather than trying to manage it within a workplace screening.

What Employers Should Prepare

• Employee roster and identifying information needed for records
• Previous baseline and annual audiograms, when available
• Testing schedule and shift information
• A suitable testing location, or access plan for our mobile unit
• An employer contact responsible for results and follow-up
• Information about existing noise monitoring and which employee groups are covered

Industries We Commonly Test

We work with manufacturing plants, warehousing and distribution centers, food and beverage processing facilities, auto and equipment maintenance shops, and other industrial employers throughout Lawrenceville, Buford, Suwanee, Duluth, Snellville, Norcross, and the wider Gwinnett County and Metro Atlanta area. If your workforce also includes drivers, our DOT and commercial driver hearing testing covers the separate federal physical-qualification standard those employees fall under.

Why Employers Choose Hearing Aid Factory Outlet

Testing is led by Gwen Cantrell, BC-HIS, a board-certified hearing instrument specialist and five-time Best of Gwinnett winner (2021–2025) in the Audiology Practice category. As a family-owned, independent practice — not a national testing vendor cycling through unfamiliar technicians — we’re able to offer flexible scheduling, a genuine sound-treated testing booth at our Lawrenceville clinic, and mobile testing options for employers who need us on-site. We’re also open seven days a week, which makes scheduling around shift work considerably easier than a typical weekday-only provider.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does audiometric testing alone make a workplace OSHA compliant?
No. Testing is one required element of a complete hearing conservation program that also includes noise monitoring, hearing protection, training, and recordkeeping.

How often are covered employees tested?
After a valid baseline, OSHA generally requires annual audiograms for every employee exposed at or above the 85-decibel action level.

Can testing be completed at our facility instead of your clinic?
Yes, depending on workforce size, scheduling, travel distance, and whether on-site conditions can meet applicable testing requirements. See our mobile audiometric testing page for details.

What happens if a standard threshold shift shows up on someone’s test?
Your program’s established follow-up process applies — typically written notification to the employee, a review of hearing protector fit and use, and retesting or referral as needed.

Do you provide hearing protection devices?
We can discuss custom and industrial hearing-protection options, but selection, availability, training, fit, and program compliance remain the employer’s responsibility.

Do new hires need a hearing test before they start?
If a role involves noise exposure at or above the action level, a baseline audiogram is generally required within six months of first exposure. Many employers choose to test at hire — see our pre-employment hearing testing page.

Are commercial drivers tested under the same standard?
No — drivers subject to DOT physical-qualification requirements fall under a separate federal hearing standard. Details are on our DOT and commercial driver hearing testing page.

How long do we need to keep audiometric records?
OSHA recordkeeping requirements for audiometric test records are extensive; your safety or HR team should confirm current retention requirements for your specific program, since this is a compliance question we don’t administer on your behalf.

How do we get started?
Tell us your employee count, site location, shift schedule, and whether you need baseline, annual, or pre-employment testing, and we’ll put together a plan and quote.