CAOHC’s Position on the Changes at NIOSH

Since its founding, the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC) has focused on ensuring that workers do not need to sacrifice their hearing to provide for themselves and their families. We, along with many other organizations, have greatly benefited from the training and research provided by NIOSH and its many Education and Research Centers (ERCs) located across the country. It is CAOHC’s position that the changes to NIOSH are counterproductive to maintaining the health and safety of the workers who make America great.

CAOHC appreciates the efforts to improve governmental efficiency so that institutions in this country can be more responsive to citizens’ needs. However, the cuts to NIOSH will only lead to greater inefficiencies and do not make economic sense. NIOSH’s previous annual budget was $363 million.¹ Lost productivity associated with noise-induced hearing loss is estimated to cost America’s economy between $58 and $152 billion annually.² Behind these figures are millions of Americans who struggle to communicate with their friends and families, have an increased risk of developing dementia, and will have a lower quality of life.

NIOSH is instrumental in many hearing-related programs including:

• Training through the Education and Research Centers (ERCs) which funds the training of hundreds of industrial hygienists, safety engineers, occupational nurses and physicians each year.³
• Maintaining acoustic laboratories to study new sound measuring devices⁴, impulse noise⁵, and hearing protectors.⁶
• Conducting hearing loss surveillance to identify the industries and jobs where workers are at the highest risk of hearing loss.⁷
• Investigating the risk of hearing loss associated with exposure to ⁸

Neither the private sector nor other governmental agencies have the resources, expertise, and mandate to address these pressing issues. The proposed cuts at NIOSH will end these critical programs and put the health of American workers at risk.

The costs of cutting NIOSH are too high for American workers and their families. It is CAOHC’s position that the following actions would result in the best outcome and prevent the most harm for Americans:

1. The reinstatement of NIOSH employees and the funding required for NIOSH to complete its mission of protecting American workers.
2. A guarantee that the trainees of the NIOSH ERCs that their funding will not be interrupted and that funding will always be available to train the future health and safety professionals needed to make America healthy again.
3. Further, NIOSH’s annual budget must be maintained or increased as appropriate so that it can continue to ensure that American workers are the healthiest and most productive workers in the world. Any attempt to bring back American jobs in resource extraction or manufacturing will fail without healthy and protected workers.

We believe NIOSH has a critical role in the administration’s efforts to revitalize America’s economy and ensure that American workers do not have to sacrifice their health to support themselves and their families.

CAOHC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the establishment and maintenance of training standards for those who safeguard hearing in the workplace. Its mission is “Advancing best practices in occupational hearing conservation worldwide, through collaboration, certification, education, and advocacy.” CAOHC currently offers three different certifications, several certificate-based training courses, videos, webinars, and top-rated educational resources in the industry.

The CAOHC Council consists of representatives from nine component organizations: American Academy of Audiology (AAA), American Association of Occupational Health Nurses (AAOHN), The American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head & Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS), American College of Occupational Environmental Medicine (ACOEM), American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA), American Speech Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), The Institute of Noise Control Engineering (INCE) and the Military Audiology Association (MAA).

Benjamin Roberts, PhD, CIH

Chair of the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC)