The federal government has been collecting occupational hearing loss data from U.S. employers since 2016. Nearly 96,000 cases. 10,000+ companies. Nine years of outcomes. Most employers have no idea this data exists — or that it’s publicly available to anyone who wants to look, including plaintiffs’ attorneys. OSHA 1910.95 requires qualifying employers to submit hearing loss case data annually. According to the CDC, approximately 22 million U.S. workers are exposed to hazardous occupational noise annually. Soundtrace has compiled nine years of this ITA data into a searchable database covering more than 10,000 U.S. companies.
A national food processor conducting pre-acquisition due diligence on a regional meat processing company used OSHA ITA data to identify a pattern of hearing loss citations at the target company’s facilities over a seven-year period. The pattern — 14 citations across 3 facilities, zero corrective audiometric follow-through — added $2.1M to the acquisition price adjustment as deferred WC liability. Post-close, they rebuilt the HCP entirely. The data was publicly available; they just knew to look.
What the Database Contains
The Soundtrace OSHA Hearing Loss Database organizes nine years of OSHA ITA data into a searchable, employer-level format. For each company in the database, the data shows:
- Annual reported hearing loss case counts from 2016 through the most recent reporting year
- Calculated hearing loss injury rate (cases per 100 full-time employees)
- NAICS industry classification and corresponding industry-average hearing loss rate for comparison
- Multi-facility employers: case counts by establishment where reported
- Year-over-year trends showing whether reported cases are increasing, decreasing, or stable
When a WC claim arrives, one of the first things attorneys ask for is prior OSHA enforcement history against the employer. If you’re not sure what’s on the record for your company or your industry, the data in this guide is a good place to start — not to prepare for a fight, but to understand your exposure before it finds you.
How OSHA Collects the Data
OSHA requires establishments with 20 or more employees in high-hazard industries to submit OSHA 300A Summary data electronically each year through the Injury Tracking Application. An occupational hearing loss case is OSHA-recordable when:
- A licensed healthcare professional determines the case is work-related
- The employee has experienced a standard threshold shift (10 dB average at 2,000, 3,000, and 4,000 Hz)
- The employee’s hearing level is 25 dB HL or more at those frequencies after age correction
What Employers Can Learn from Their Record
For many employers, looking up their company in the database is a clarifying moment. The record shows:
This employer’s hearing loss injury rate runs 64% above the fabricated metals industry average. The cases cluster in 2018–2022, then drop sharply in 2023–2024 — consistent with an HCP program rebuild. The pre-2023 case history remains on public record.
WC and Litigation Implications
- Prior knowledge: A sustained pattern of hearing loss cases establishes that the employer knew workers were being harmed by noise exposure
- Program adequacy challenge: An elevated hearing loss rate compared to industry benchmarks is evidence that the HCP was not adequately controlling the hazard
- Discovery leverage: Plaintiffs’ attorneys routinely pull ITA data to frame the current claimant as one of many rather than an isolated incident
- Insurance pricing: WC insurers use OSHA ITA data in underwriting. Elevated hearing loss rates directly affect experience modification factors and premium pricing
How to Use the Soundtrace Database
- Find your record. Search by legal entity name or DUNS number.
- Review your trend. Year-over-year case counts reveal program effectiveness.
- Compare to your industry benchmark. Running above the industry average at a sustained level is a material risk signal.
- Identify your highest-risk facilities. Facilities with disproportionate case counts are priority HCP investment targets.
Improving Your Future Record
Frequently Asked Questions
A compiled, searchable dataset of occupational hearing loss cases from OSHA’s Injury Tracking Application covering nine years and more than 10,000 U.S. companies. It allows employers to see their public OSHA hearing loss record, compare their rate to industry benchmarks, and identify facilities with elevated case concentrations.
OSHA requires qualifying establishments to submit OSHA 300A data annually through the ITA. Recordable hearing loss cases — those meeting the STS + 25 dB HL threshold after professional review — appear in these submissions and flow into the public dataset.
Their historical case counts, annual hearing loss injury rate, comparison to industry peers, and year-over-year trend. For multi-location employers, case distribution by facility. For all employers: exactly what plaintiffs’ attorneys and WC insurers can also see.
See your company’s OSHA hearing loss record
Search the Soundtrace database to see your public record — and understand what’s there before a WC proceeding surfaces it for you.
Access the Database