The End of NIOSH’s Hearing Loss Prevention Program: Setback or Opportunity?

The recent staff layoffs and defunding of the United States’ National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health’s Hearing Loss Prevention Program are perceived by many occupational hearing loss professionals and stakeholders as an unsettling setback. This Commentary explains how and why ending this federal governmental program’s research agenda—even if it is temporary—should not stop progress by the private sector toward secondary prevention of noise-induced hearing loss by leveraging the overabundance of under-utilized raw audiometric data already collected for compliance purposes. The resources needed to accomplish this objective include metrics and statistical methods that transform raw audiometric data into risk-based population analytics, optimization of program delivery, and selective prioritization of cost-effective technology and basic research. Integrating population-based audiometric database analysis into routine business practice will give employers the valuable business intelligence they need to continuously measure the actual effectiveness of and return on investment from their hearing conservation programs. Private sector stakeholders who stand the most to benefit—employers, insurers, and suppliers—can pragmatically implement this solution framework to more efficiently manage noise-related worker health risk for relatively little additional cost compared to what employers already pay to conduct audiometric testing and basic compliance reporting. Government agencies’ otherwise traditionally reactive enforcement role can concomitantly evolve into a proactive, risk-reducing resource that enhances their role in regulation and technical support.