WASHINGTON, DC -- Nominations for the annual Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Awards are now being accepted.

The Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Awards are cosponsored by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA), and the Council for Accreditation of Hearing Conservationists (CAOHC).

Previous winners have been recognized for purchasing quieter tools or equipment, regularly checking noise levels, providing effective hearing protection tailored to workers’ needs, conducting careful analysis of the annual hearing test results, trained all workers effectively on noise both on and off the job, controlled noise to the levels recommended by NIOSH, and evaluated their program each year to improve deficiencies.

Awards are granted in two categories:

•Excellence – recognizes those who go out of their way to ensure safety of employees’ hearing by limiting or eliminating risks from noise exposure in their workplace.

•Innovation – recognizes individuals or organizations for their dedication to fostering and implementing unique advances in the prevention of hearing loss and creating innovative solutions to real workplace hearing loss prevention challenges.

The deadline to nominate another individual, group, or company, please submit by June 8, 2023. Self-nominations must submit by August 18, 2023.

Winners are invited to receive the award and present on their real-world examples at the Annual National Hearing Conference, which will take place this year on February 9, 2024 in Albuquerque, NM.

For information on how to submit a nomination, please visit the Safe-in-Sound website

NIOSH recommends removing hazardous noise from the workplace whenever possible and implementing an effective hearing loss prevention program in those situations where dangerous noise exposures have not yet been controlled or eliminated. For more information about noise and hearing loss prevention research at NIOSH please visit https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise/.