DOL Opens a Comment Window on How Occupational Hearing Loss Is Tested
On June 23, 2026 the Department of Labor's Office of Workers' Compensation Programs opened a public comment period on the quality standards used to evaluate occupational hearing loss under the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act. The core question is whether the pure-tone audiogram should remain the primary standard or whether objective tests — auditory brainstem response, auditory steady-state response, and otoacoustic emissions — should play a larger role. Comments are due October 22, 2026.
The agency is inviting input from audiologists, otolaryngologists, employers, employees, and insurers on the comparative reliability of these methods and on the criteria used to judge hearing impairment. However the rulemaking lands, it signals that measurement quality is back at the center of the conversation.
For now the operating standard is unchanged: OSHA's 1910.95 hearing-conservation program with baseline and annual audiograms once exposures reach 85 dBA, on audiometers calibrated to ANSI S3.6.
Sources: U.S. DOL / OWCP — June 23, 2026; Federal Register — RFI































