Washington — NIOSH is accepting nominations for its 2027 Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Awards.
The awards recognize organizations and professionals who implement effective practices or innovations that contribute to the prevention of on-the-job noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus.
The nomination period ends Aug. 19.
Open to professionals from the United States and Canada, the awards have two categories:
- The Excellence Award is for employers who “go out of their way to ensure the safety of employees’ hearing” with exemplary hearing loss prevention programs, according to the National Hearing Conservation Association.
- The Innovation Award honors individuals or organizations for dedication to “fostering, creating and implementing new and unique evidence-based advances in the prevention of hearing loss” and for innovative solutions.
Self-nominations and applications that nominate others are being accepted. The first step in the process is submitting a letter to Scott Schneider, coordinator of the Safe-in-Sound review committee, at [email protected]. The letter should include:
- Nominee’s name and contact information
- Brief description of nominee’s noise control or hearing loss prevention interventions
- Evidence of the effectiveness of a nominee’s interventions
The committee will contact nominees who are eligible to move forward in the process with details about additional documentation and completing the nomination. Winners will be determined by Dec. 31 and honored at NHCA’s annual conference, set for April in Orlando, FL.
Along with NIOSH and NHCA, the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation is a sponsor of the awards.



