Keeping the workplace safe and healthy begins with up-to-date on vaccinations. Conservative Care Occupational Health offers a wide range of vaccinations from standard flu shots to safe-travel vaccinations. Our services follow the guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Vaccines Available At Conservative Care Occupational Health

• COVID-19
• Flu vaccine
• Pneumonia vaccine
• Varicella (Chicken Pox) vaccine
• Measles/Mumps/Rubella vaccine
• Hepatitis A vaccine
• Hepatitis B vaccine
• Tetanus/Diphtheria/Pertussis vaccine
• Tetanus/Diphtheria vaccine
• Meningococcal vaccine
• Shingles
• Rabies vaccine
• Typhoid Oral and Injectable vaccine
• Japanese Encephalitis vaccine
• Yellow fever vaccine

OSHA

An audiometry exam tests how well your hearing functions. It tests both the intensity and the tone of sounds, balance issues, and other issues related to the function of the inner ear.

The unit of measure for sound intensity is the decibel (dB). A healthy human ear can hear quiet sounds such as whispers. These are about 20 dB. A loud sound such as a jet engine is between 140 and 180 dB.

The tone of a sound is measured in cycles per second. The unit of measure for tone is Hertz (Hz). Low bass tones measure around 50 Hz. Humans can hear tones between 20-20,000 Hz. Human speech generally falls in the 500 - 3,000 Hz range.

Basic requirement. If an employee's hearing test (audiogram) reveals that the employee has experienced a work-related Standard Threshold Shift (STS) in hearing in one or both ears, and the employee's total hearing level is 25 decibels (dB) or more above audiometric zero (averaged at 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz) in the same ear(s) as the STS, you must record the case on the OSHA 300 Log.

Recordable determination is done on a case-by-case basis and the employer is allowed to seek guidance from a physician or licensed health care provider. In the case of hearing loss, we use the term “professional supervisor” of the audiometric testing portion of the hearing conservation program to describe that health care professional. This is sometimes referred to as a STS evaluation.

The common causes of hearing loss include:

• Birth defects
• Chronic ear infections
• Inherited conditions, such as otosclerosis, which occurs when an abnormal growth of bone
  prevents structures within the ear from functioning properly
• An injury to the ear
• Inner ear diseases, such as Ménière’s disease or an autoimmune disease that affects the inner ear
• Regular exposure to loud noises
• A ruptured eardrum

Damage to the ear or exposure to loud sounds for a long period can cause hearing loss. Sounds louder than 85 dB, such as you hear at a rock concert, can cause hearing loss after only a few hours. It’s good to use hearing protection, such as foam earplugs, if you’re exposed to loud music or industrial noise on a regular basis.

Sensorineural hearing loss occurs when hair cells in the cochlea aren’t working properly. The cochlea is the part of the ear that translates sound vibrations into nerve impulses to be sent to the brain. Sensorineural hearing loss can also occur due to damage to the nerve that carries sound information to the brain or damage to part of the brain that processes this information. This type of hearing loss is usually permanent. It can be mild, moderate, or severe.

How to Prepare for an Audiometry Exam?
An audiometry exam requires no special preparation. You should avoid all loud noises for a minimum of 14 hours before a hearing test. Audiometry is noninvasive and carries no risk.

There are a few tests involved in audiometry. A pure tone test measures the quietest sound you can hear at different pitches. It involves using an audiometer, which is a machine that plays sounds via headphones.

The person performing the test will play a variety of sounds, such as tones and speech, at different intervals into one ear at a time, to determine your range of hearing. After your hearing test is complete the results will be reviewed with you and a copy will be sent to your employer.

If your company requires the use of respirators, Conservative Care Occupational Health has the capability to test your employees onsite to make sure the equipment fits properly. Fit testing is required by OSHA for companies requiring mandatory respirators on the job. These should be assessed annually or when a new size, style, or model of respirator is used. OSHA fit testing protocols follow two testing guidelines: Qualitative Fit Tests (QLFT) and Quantitative Fit Tests (QNFT).

Qualitative Fit Test (QLFT)

A qualitative fit test (QLFT) may only be used to fit-test:

• Negative-pressure, air-purifying respirators, used in atmospheres where the hazard is at less than 10 times the permissible exposure limit (PEL).
• Tight fitting facepieces used with powered and atmosphere-supplying respirators.

QLFT is pass/fail and relies on the employee’s ability to sense any one of four OSHA-accepted test agents:

• Isoamyl acetate (banana smell); only for testing respirators with organic vapor cartridges.
• Saccharin (sweet taste); for respirators with a particulate filter of any class.
• Bitrex® (bitter taste); for test respirators with particulate filters of any class.
• Irritant smoke (involuntary cough reflex); only for testing respirators with level 100 particulate filters.

The QLFT method is performed for 1 minute while the employee exercises in each of the following manners:

• Normal breathing.
• Deep breathing.
• Side to side head motions.
• Up and down head motions.
• Bending over (or jogging in place if fit test unit doesn’t permit bending at the waist).
• Talking.
• Normal breathing.

Quantitative Fit Test (QNFT)

A quantitative fit test (QNFT) is used to test any tight-fitting respirator. There are three OSHA-accepted QNFT test protocols:

• Generated aerosol uses a non-hazardous aerosol such as corn oil generated in a test chamber.
• Condensation nuclei counter (CNC) uses ambient aerosol and doesn’t require a test chamber.
• Controlled negative pressure (CNP) uses a test that creates a vacuum by temporarily cutting off air.

QNFTs use the same seven exercises as QLFTs, plus a test where the subject smiles and frowns for a minimum of 15 seconds.

ESSENTIAL SEAL CHECKS

A proper fit ensures the respirator seals tightly to your skin. If the seal isn’t properly secured, the air will go around the respirator instead of through it, lessening the protection. Employees should assess their tight-fitting respirators with a personal seal check with every application. Personal seal checks can be done with either a positive or negative-pressure check.

• A positive-pressure check blocks the exhalation valve on a respirator or by covering the respirator surface on a filtering facepiece, and trying to breathe out. If a slight pressure builds, the air isn’t leaking around the edges of the respirator and is properly sealed.
• A negative-pressure check blocks the intake valves on a respirator or by covering the respirator, and trying to breathe in. If no air enters, the seal is tight.