📚 Guide by Safety Mom · Allstar Enviro Safety — The Hearing Conservation is an online workplace safety course delivered by Safety Mom · Allstar Enviro Safety, Calgary’s Energy Safety Canada Authorized Training Provider. Self-paced, mobile-friendly, same-day certificate upon exam completion. Available across Canada.
🔗 Related Safety Mom courses & guides: H2S Alive Calgary · Standard First Aid Calgary · Oil Sands Safety Certs · Instructor: Arliss Levine, CRSP, CHSC
HEARING CONSERVATION COURSE OVERVIEW
Many high-risk work environments contain a variety of potentially ear-splitting work being performed. Since 2004, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported nearly 125,000 cases of permanent hearing loss in workers. Simply being exposed to hazardous noise levels can result in hearing loss by damaging the hair cells directly connected to nerve endings in the inner ear. However, the extent of this damage and the severity of hearing loss depend on the amount of noise to which you are exposed and the duration of exposure time.
Upon successful completion of this course, you should be able to:
- Identify how noise impacts hearing and the factors that determine the extent of hearing loss
- Identify noise exposure levels that require hearing protection according to Part VII of Canadian Regulations
- Identify how the types of hearing protectors are selected for a job, and their advantages and disadvantages for controlling noise exposure
- Identify correct use, care, and maintenance practices for hearing protectors
- Identify the requirements of a hearing conservation program
REGULATIONS
This course was designed to help satisfy requirements of the following regulations:
- Canadian Occupational Health and Safety Regulations, Part VII – Levels of Sound, Subpart 7.1 through 7.8
- CSA Standard Z-94.2 M1984, “Hearing Protectors”
- 29 CFR 1910.95
- 29 CFR 1910.145
HEARING CONSERVATION COURSE TOPICS
- Noise and hearing
- Canadian OH&S Regulations noise exposure limits
- Hearing protectors
- Hearing conservation programs
HEARING CONSERVATION COURSE DURATION: Approximately 20 minutes
HEARING CONSERVATION COURSE ASSESSMENT: Testing conducted throughout this online course is designed to reinforce the information presented. A mark of 80% must be achieved in order to receive a certificate of completion. Users are able to repeat the course twice if the pass mark is not achieved.
HEARING CONSERVATION CERTIFICATE OF COMPLETION: Upon successful completion of this online course, a certificate of completion will be available for download and printing.
HEARING CONSERVATION COURSE PREVIEW
Additional Safety Knowledge
Musculoskeletal Injuries in Alberta Workplaces
Musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs) account for approximately 40% of Alberta’s lost-time workplace injuries. Back injuries alone are the single largest category. Common causes include manual material handling, repetitive motion, awkward postures, sustained static positions, and forceful exertions. WCB Alberta claim costs for MSIs run into the hundreds of millions annually.
Safe Lifting Principles
- Assess the load before lifting — if it looks too heavy, use mechanical assistance or team lift.
- Alberta OHS advises single-person lifts should not exceed 23 kg (50 lb) as a general benchmark, though the NIOSH Lifting Equation accounts for many variables.
- Keep the load close to the body — every 25 cm from the spine roughly doubles compressive force on lumbar discs.
- Bend at the hips and knees, not the waist. Maintain the natural curve of the lumbar spine.
- Avoid twisting while lifting — turn the whole body by moving the feet.
- Plan the lift path: is it clear? Where are you setting the load?
Cold Stress and Hearing Conservation
Alberta workers face specific environmental hazards. Cold stress: hypothermia can develop above freezing in wet or windy conditions. Layered clothing, warm-up breaks, hot drinks, and monitoring for early symptoms (shivering, confusion) are required. Hearing loss: Alberta OHS 8-hour exposure limit is 85 dBA. Hearing protection required above 85 dBA; hearing conservation program (baseline audiogram, annual monitoring, education) required above 85 dBA sustained exposure. Once noise-induced hearing loss occurs, it is permanent.
Hearing Conservation — Recognising Early Symptoms
Report discomfort early — the earlier an MSI is caught, the more likely full recovery. Early warning signs: pain, tingling, numbness, weakness, reduced range of motion, joint stiffness. Do not “work through the pain.” Alberta workers have the right to report workplace injuries to WCB and to seek modified work during recovery.
Content reviewed by Arliss Levine, CRSP, CHSC — lead safety instructor at Safety Mom · Allstar Enviro Safety Calgary, an Energy Safety Canada Authorized Training Provider.
