The Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation: a good model for training allied health personnel.

In 2005, the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS) asked me to serve as the Academy's representative to the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation (CAOHC). This important affiliate organization has achieved substantial advances over the past 30 years. However, it has been surprising how few otolaryngologists are familiar with CAOHC. As the Academy and the field of otolaryngology develop new allied medical programs, such as the Academy's current program for certifying otologic technicians and other efforts under way by the Academy's CPOP (Certificate Program for Otolaryngology Personnel) Committee, it is worthwhile for us to remember and remain familiar with successful analogous programs.

Concerns about occupational hearing loss and hearing conservation evolved during the late 1940s and 1950s, spurred by the first workers' compensation payment for occupational hearing loss in 1948. As hearing conservation programs developed, it became clear that consistent, high-quality training was needed to prepare people to perform valid, reliable audiometric testing in industrial settings. Since these people would have the responsibility to assess the hearing of millions of workers and would be the "front line" in the effort to avoid all cases of occupational hearing loss, numerous organizations devoted considerable thought to training paradigms and curricula.

Many organizations, including the American Association of Industrial Nurses, the Industrial Medical Association, the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the Intersociety Committee, and others participated in this effort and produced the Guide for Training Audiometric Technicians in Industry in March 1965. Courses were started in the 1960s by Dr. Joseph Sataloff and others, some of which continued for 40 years.

In 1972, the American Board of Occupational Hearing Conservation Technicians was established as a certification board for training and certifying technicians, and for teaching and certifying instructors. This organization was founded to set standards and establish training policies and methods for ensuring that high-quality hearing conservation technicians would be available to industry, and that they would be equipped adequately to participate in high-quality hearing conservation programs in industries of various sizes. In February 1973, the name of the organization was changed to the Council for Accreditation in Occupational Hearing Conservation.

Throughout its existence, CAOHC has collaborated not only with the AAO-HNS, but also with the organized representatives of other related disciplines (audiology, nursing, engineering, occupational medicine, and others). CAOHC has also worked closely with government agencies, including the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Department of Labor.

At present, there are more than 21,000 CAOHC-certified occupational hearing conservationists and 360 certified course directors. Members of the governing council represent not only the AAO-HNS, but also the American Academy of Audiology, the American Association of Occupational Health Nurses, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the American Society of Safety Engineers, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, the Institute of Noise Control Engineering, and the Military Audiology Association.

CAOHC has maintained its focus on and dedication to the establishment and maintenance of training standards for professionals who are responsible for protecting hearing in industry. The organization has been highly successful and should serve not only as a resource for otolaryngologists, but also as a model of effective, interdisciplinary training and certification for allied health personnel.

ROBERT THAYER SATALOFF, MD, DMA 

Editor-in-Chief

EAR, NOSE & THROAT JOURNAL