The facts
- A press operator's annual audiogram shows a 12 dB average shift at 2000, 3000 and 4000 Hz in the left ear against their baseline.
- Total hearing level in that same ear is 30 dB above audiometric zero.
- The audiologist confirms the shift is work-related and it is not corrected by a retest.
The determination
Recordable
Recordable hearing loss under 1904.10.
Criteria met
- • Recordable hearing loss (1904.10)
Decision trail
- 01
Did an event or exposure in the work environment cause or contribute to the case?
Yes — presumed work-related, subject to the 1904.5(b)(2) exceptions.
29 CFR § 1904.5(a)(a) Basic requirement. You must consider an injury or illness to be work-related if an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a pre-existing injury or illness. Work-relatedness is presumed for injuries and illnesses resulting from events or exposures occurring in the work environment, unless an exception in § 1904.5(b)(2) specifically applies.
- 02
Is this a new case?
Yes.
29 CFR § 1904.6(a)(a) Basic requirement. You must consider an injury or illness to be a “new case” if:
- 03
Do the audiometric results meet the 1904.10 recording criteria?
Yes — STS present and total hearing level is at least 25 dB in the same ear.
29 CFR § 1904.10(b)(1)(a) Basic requirement. If an employee's hearing test (audiogram) reveals that the employee has experienced a work-related Standard Threshold Shift (STS) in hearing in one or both ears, and the employee's total hearing level is 25 decibels (dB) or more above audiometric zero (averaged at 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz) in the same ear(s) as the STS, you must record the case on the OSHA 300 Log.
Computed at build time by Job13’s engine from the facts above — not written by hand. Change the facts and re-run it yourself →
What is actually going on here — Job13's explanation
1904.10 is a two-part test and both parts must be satisfied in the same ear. A Standard Threshold Shift on its own is not recordable — this is the most common recordkeeping error in a hearing conservation programme, because an STS is what triggers duties under the noise standard at 1910.95 and it is easy to assume the two thresholds are the same.
The STS is an average shift of 10 dB or more at 2000, 3000 and 4000 Hz relative to the baseline. The second condition asks something different: the total level in that ear, measured from audiometric zero, must be at least 25 dB.
You may retest within 30 days and use the retest if it does not confirm the shift, and you may have the results reviewed by a professional. If either fact is still open, the case is not decidable yet — which is exactly what Job13 returns rather than guessing.
The provisions this turns on
In the regulation's own words
(a) Basic requirement. If an employee's hearing test (audiogram) reveals that the employee has experienced a work-related Standard Threshold Shift (STS) in hearing in one or both ears, and the employee's total hearing level is 25 decibels (dB) or more above audiometric zero (averaged at 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz) in the same ear(s) as the STS, you must record the case on the OSHA 300 Log.
Change one fact
If total hearing level had been 20 dB in that ear
An STS without a 25 dB total hearing level in the same ear does not meet the 1904.10 test. The employee has a confirmed shift and the case is still not recordable.
The determination on those facts instead
Not recordable
Does not meet the two-part hearing-loss test in 1904.10, and meets none of the general 1904.7(a) criteria either, so it is not recordable.
Decision trail
- 01
Did an event or exposure in the work environment cause or contribute to the case?
Yes — presumed work-related, subject to the 1904.5(b)(2) exceptions.
29 CFR § 1904.5(a)(a) Basic requirement. You must consider an injury or illness to be work-related if an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a pre-existing injury or illness. Work-relatedness is presumed for injuries and illnesses resulting from events or exposures occurring in the work environment, unless an exception in § 1904.5(b)(2) specifically applies.
- 02
Is this a new case?
Yes.
29 CFR § 1904.6(a)(a) Basic requirement. You must consider an injury or illness to be a “new case” if:
- 03
Do the audiometric results meet the 1904.10 recording criteria?
No — 1904.10 requires BOTH an STS and a total hearing level of at least 25 dB in the same ear. The case is still evaluated against the general 1904.7 criteria below.
29 CFR § 1904.10(b)(1)(a) Basic requirement. If an employee's hearing test (audiogram) reveals that the employee has experienced a work-related Standard Threshold Shift (STS) in hearing in one or both ears, and the employee's total hearing level is 25 decibels (dB) or more above audiometric zero (averaged at 2000, 3000, and 4000 Hz) in the same ear(s) as the STS, you must record the case on the OSHA 300 Log.
- 04
Does the case meet one or more of the general recording criteria in 1904.7(a)?
No — none of the 1904.7(a) criteria are met.
29 CFR § 1904.7(a)(a) Basic requirement. You must consider an injury or illness to meet the general recording criteria, and therefore to be recordable, if it results in any of the following: death, days away from work, restricted work or transfer to another job, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness. You must also consider a case to meet the general recording criteria if it involves a significant injury or illness diagnosed by a physician or other licensed health care professional, even if it does not result in death, days away from work, restricted work or job transfer, medical treatment beyond first aid, or loss of consciousness.
Your case is not this case
Scenarios are worked examples on stated facts. Small differences — who recommended the treatment, whether participation was voluntary, what the employee’s routine functions actually are — change the answer. Run your own facts, and the determination will show you which step decided it.
Check your case — freeNot legal advice. This page republishes 29 CFR Part 1904 as published by the eCFR and explains it. The recordkeeping duty is the employer’s. Where the rule requires judgement, Job13 says so rather than guessing — run your own case through the free check.