The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) has launched a new online learning pathway on preventing workplace noise and hearing loss. AIHA develops training, certification programs and professional publications for industrial hygienists in the United States. The new pathway draws together material from conferences, professional publications and interviews with practitioners into a single, structured program.
Structure of the pathway
The program totals 63 contact hours of structured learning content. It combines presentations and case studies from AIHA conferences such as AIHce EXP and AIHA Connect, articles from professional publications and the association’s member magazine, The Synergist, interviews with experienced practitioners, and additional curated reference material such as guidance documents and technical resources. The pathway brings these varied sources together into one continuous program.
Three levels, one connected pathway
The learning pathway is built around three consecutive levels, progressing from foundational knowledge to advanced expertise, which can be taken individually or as a complete package. This tiered structure mirrors how responsibility for noise control typically shifts as professionals advance in their careers.
Who it’s for
The pathway is aimed at professionals across a range of experience levels, from those looking to build a foundation in noise control to specialists seeking to deepen their expertise. According to the CDC, noise-induced hearing loss is one of the most common — and most preventable — occupational illnesses, which makes ongoing training on this topic relevant for industrial hygienists, safety professionals and other HSE practitioners responsible for exposure assessments and prevention programs in the workplace. Because noise exposure occurs across many industries, the pathway’s intended audience is broad rather than limited to a single sector.
Context
According to the CDC/NIOSH, an estimated 27 million workers in the United States are exposed annually to hazardous occupational noise, and roughly one in nine members of the U.S. workforce has some form of hearing difficulty. Occupational hearing loss is irreversible once it occurs, but according to the same source it is preventable with the right measures. In the EU, the Physical Agents (Noise) Directive sets exposure action values of 80 and 85 dB(A) and a limit value of 87 dB(A): employers must make hearing protection available starting at 80 dB(A).
Source: AIHA Introduces Noise and Hearing Loss Prevention Learning Pathway, September 23, 2026
Additional research: CDC/NIOSH – About Occupational Hearing Loss; EU Directive 2003/10/EC (Physical Agents: Noise)
