Now hear this: NIOSH announces Safe-in-Sound award winners
Albuquerque, NM — Army Lt. Col. Kara Cave and Dow Chemical Co. are the respective recipients of the 2024 NIOSH Safe-in-Sound Innovation and Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Awards.
The awards recognize organizations and professionals who implement effective practices or innovations to help prevent noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus among workers exposed to noise on the job.
Cave, chief of the Womack Army Medical Center’s hearing program at Fort Liberty in North Carolina, was recognized for using a data-driven approach to demonstrate the benefits of various clinical and program initiatives, along with gathering management support and investment for programs that are designed to prevent hearing loss, evaluate fitness for duty and assess the effects of specialized hearing protectors on situational awareness.
Cave also led a team that conducted an analysis of hearing care capabilities and policies, in addition to identifying feasible steps that significantly improved prevention as well as clinical and rehabilitative services.
Dow Chemical Co., which has a presence in 160 countries, worked to change a workplace culture that previously hadn’t prioritized noise control among its operations.
Dow gathered testimonials from workers and broadcast initial noise control and other interventions across the organization on topics related to noise exposure, hearing difficulties, stress and communication challenges. The company then disseminated solutions and mechanisms for facilities to address their specific noise issues.
Among the efforts were reducing sound levels below the NIOSH recommended 85-dBa limit for 8-hour noise exposures, adopting inclusive criteria in the company’s comprehensive hearing loss prevention program, completing multiple noise-control studies throughout business units to identify noise sources impacting worker exposures and adopting “buy quiet” policies.
Nominations for the 2025 Safe-in-Sound awards are being accepted through Aug. 19. To submit a nomination, email [email protected].
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