TFD Hearing Loss Prevention Program

Overview

• The document establishes the TFD's policy on protecting the hearing of TFD personnel.
• It applies to all TFD uniformed, Fire Garage, and electrician personnel.
• No procedures or forms are included in the document.
• It replaces TFD Policy 5017: Hearing Conservation Program, dated November 2001.

Responsibilities

• The Administrative Battalion Chief for Safety is responsible for administering the TFD Hearing Loss Prevention Program.
• They also ensure TFD personnel receive hearing tests and training as per the guidelines, issue an annual schedule for hearing testing/training, and maintain the document.
• TFD Battalion Chiefs ensure that TFD personnel wear hearing protection following the guidelines.
• The TFD Battalion Chiefs must ensure that TFD personnel participate in annual hearing testing and training.
• TFD uniformed personnel, electricians, and Fire Garage personnel must select and wear hearing protection based on the guidelines.
• Relevant TFD personnel should participate in annual hearing testing and training.

Definitions

• dBA (Decibel, A weighting) is a noise level measure expressed in decibels on the "A" scale.
• Priority response is an immediate response to an emergency by a TFD vehicle or rapid patient transport by a TFD medic company.
• Priority responses involve warning lights, sirens, traffic control devices, and limited exceptions to traffic laws under Washington State codes.
• 85 dBA TWA8 refers to an average exposure of 85 decibels over eight hours, measured by noise dosimetry.

Rules: General Guidelines

• The TFD must administer an ongoing, effective Hearing Loss Prevention Program at no cost to employees.
• Uniformed personnel, electricians, and mechanics get hearing protection (earmuffs, earplugs, headsets), mandatory annual hearing tests, and annual hearing loss prevention training.
• The Administrative Battalion Chief for Safety must ensure TFD personnel receive annual hearing tests and training, and issues a schedule with locations and times for testing/training and re-test dates.
• TFD Battalion Chiefs ensure personnel wear proper hearing protection.

Rules: Personnel and Hearing Protection

• TFD personnel must participate in annual hearing loss prevention training and hearing tests.
• TFD personnel must select and wear appropriate hearing protection.
• Hearing protection is required when exposed to 85 dBA TWA8 or higher.
• Hearing protection is required when exposed to noise exceeding 115 dBA from power tools, lawn mowers, leaf blowers, engine warm-ups, pumping, drafting, etc.
• Hearing protection is required during training, drilling, and/or investigating alarms and emergency incidents involving chain saws, circular saws, rescue tools, alarm systems, aerial equipment, pump testing, and EMS scenes.
• Radio/intercom headsets should be worn when responding to priority incidents or pumping with TFD apparatus.
• When in a TFD vehicle, adjust radio volume and roll up windows when using sirens/air horns.
• Hearing protection can be omitted if it creates an additional hazard, like during fire suppression.

Rules: Audiometric Testing

• Audiometric testing for TFD employees must be performed annually, completed by a licensed/certified audiologist, otolaryngologist, or a technician certified by the council of accreditation in occupational hearing loss prevention.
• Technicians performing audiometric tests for TFD must be supervised by a qualified audiologist, otolaryngologist, or physician.
• TFD personnel should wear adequate hearing protection on duty before the hearing test.
• TFD personnel should avoid high noise levels for 14 hours before the hearing test.

Signatures and Policy Update

• The policy was approved with a signature on file at Headquarters on March 4, 2009, by Jon Chaffey, Administrative Battalion Chief for Safety.
• The policy was due for an update in March 2014.