NIOSH and NHCA present 2018 Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Awards™
February 15, 2018
NIOSH Update:
Nura Sadeghpour (202) 245-0673
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), in partnership with the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA), is pleased to announce the US Army’s Tactical Communications and Protective System (TCAPS) as the recipient of the 2018 Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Award™. The award will be presented at the Annual Hearing Conservation Conference on February 16th in Orlando, Florida and celebrate 10 years of the Safe-in-Sound Award initiative.
Safe-in-Sound awards honor those that have contributed to the prevention of noise-induced hearing loss and tinnitus through effective practices or innovations directed to those who are exposed to noise at work. This year’s award recognizes the US Army’s TCAPS system for being successful in obtaining authority to evaluate and procure commercial off the shelf Hearing Protection Devices (HPDs) to designated Dismounted Infantry Soldiers. The program developed new and innovative procedures to procure, test, deliver and train users on new active hearing protection devices. The success of the TCAPS program represents a recognition by the Army of the importance of hearing protection and communication among the force.
“Along with celebrating the 10th year for the Safe-in-Sound awards, we look forward to honoring this year’s recipient,” said NIOSH Director John Howard, M.D. “The U.S. Army’s Tactical Communications and Protective System has demonstrated initiative and innovation in developing and maintaining state-of-the-art hearing protection devices for Infantry Soldiers and leads the way in preventing work-related hearing loss.”
The new active hearing protection devices aim to maintain auditory situation awareness and provide protection from noise-induced hearing loss. Between January 2014 to June 2017, 15 Army Brigade Combat Teams benefited from TCAPS activities, and approximately 30,000 TCAPS Active Hearing Protection Devices have been assigned to designated Army Infantry Soldiers.
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 https://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, 2018 at http://www.safeinsound.us/