: Occupational hearing loss is preventable through a hierarchy of controls, which prioritize the use of engineering controls over administrative controls and personal protective equipment. The occupational and environmental medicine (OEM) physician plays a critical role in the prevention of occupational noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). This position statement clarifies current best practices in the diagnosis of occupational NIHL.

: ACOEM believes that the functions of a professional supervisor in hearing conservation programs are part of the "core practice" of occupational medicine. This guidance emphasizes the role occupational medicine clinicians play in the supervision of audiometric surveillance conducted under the auspices of hearing conservation programs and reviews the regulatory and scientific basis and pertinent practices involved in this supervisory role.