NIOSH, NHCA and CAOHC present 2019 Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Awards™

Press Contact: Nura Sadeghpour (202) 245-0673

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), in partnership with the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA) and the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC), is pleased to announce the recipient of the 2019 Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Award™.  The award will be presented to Kurt Yankaskas, Program Management Officer with the Noise-Induced Hearing Loss Research Program (NIHL) of the Office of Naval Research, on February 9th at the Annual Hearing Conservation Conference in Dallas, Texas.

Safe-in-Sound Awards honor those who have contributed to the prevention of noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus through effective practices or innovations directed towards those who are exposed to noise at work. This year’s recipient managed a comprehensive research portfolio that led to innovative approaches in managing exposure to noise for Navy personnel.

“We look forward to honoring Mr. Yankaskas’s leadership in overseeing auditory research and prevention within the Office of Naval Research,” said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. “The spectrum of activity conducted by his program, the resourcefulness demonstrated, and the hands-on focus on evaluation exemplifies what needs to be done when it comes to preventing hearing loss among any type of worker in any industry.”

The Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) Research Program not only funds a wide portfolio of research but also implements and evaluates the solutions that it has developed. They include noise control for ships, aircraft and equipment; Noise-induced hearing loss surveillance and risk evaluation; medical treatment of noise-induced hearing loss; and improved hearing protection for Navy personnel.  Some technological innovations include a Hearing Health Instructional Primer training app and Designer Noise, a program for computer-aided design of ships to include noise control features. While the primary objective of the program’s innovative portfolio is to benefit service personnel, the research results are directly applicable to the civilian world and led to the transfer of technologies and interventions to general industry.  Extended versions of the award recipient presentations can be seen on the Safe-in-Sound website.

NIOSH recommends removing hazardous noise from the workplace whenever possible and implementing an effective hearing loss prevention program in those situations where dangerous noise exposures have not yet been controlled or eliminated. For more information about noise and hearing loss prevention research at NIOSH please visit http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/noise/

NIOSH is the federal institute that conducts research and makes recommendations for preventing work-related injuries and illnesses. Mention of any company or product does not constitute endorsement by NIOSH. More information about NIOSH can be found at www.cdc.gov/niosh.

Nominations for the next Safe-in-Sound awards will be accepted until July 15, 2019 at http://www.safeinsound.us/