What this is
What is a standard threshold shift review?
What is a standard threshold shift review?
It is the follow-up record opened when an audiometric test detects a standard threshold shift. It confirms whether the shift is real, investigates whether it is work-related, and decides what protection, training, exposure or recordkeeping action follows.
How is this different from the audiometric test record?
That record is the periodic hearing test itself: raw thresholds, by frequency, for each ear, on one occasion. This review only exists once a test shows a shift meeting the standard's definition, and its job is judgement rather than measurement.
Who runs the review?
Occupational health leads it, since the clinical confirmation and referral decision sit there, but the investigation into protection use draws on the safety function, since a shift is frequently a signal a control has failed.
Scope
When is a standard threshold shift review required?
This review is the judgement step that follows a detected shift, not a second copy of the test. Using it to record a test result, or skipping it because a shift looks minor, both produce a chain that stops one step short of a defensible decision.
Use this template when
- An audiometric test record has flagged a shift detected and needs a decision made on it
- A shift needs to be confirmed by retest before it is treated as a standard threshold shift
- A confirmed shift needs investigation into protection use, fit and exposure to establish cause
- A confirmed shift requires notification, possible referral, and a follow-up action to be raised and tracked
- A pattern across a similar exposure group needs to be checked once one member shows a shift
Do not use it for
- Audiometric Test Record, which is the periodic hearing test that first produces the raw thresholds this review interprets
- Hearing Protection Fit Check, which is the dedicated attenuation verification, distinct from the general protection-use questions this review asks in the course of investigating a shift
- Noise Survey, which supplies the area or task exposure data this review draws on when assessing whether exposure was above the action level
- A personal dosimetry record, which measures the worker's actual exposure and is referenced by this review rather than replaced by it
- The corrective action record itself, which is where a raised action is tracked to closure once this review has decided one is needed
Compliance mapping
Which OSHA 1910.95(g)(8) requirements does this satisfy?
OSHA 1910.95(g)(8) sets out the follow-up procedure in named steps once a standard threshold shift is found, which is why this review can be checked against the standard step by step rather than against a general duty to respond.
| Clause | Requirement | Where it lands |
|---|---|---|
| OSHA 1910.95(g)(9) | A retest may be used to confirm a shift before it is treated as a standard threshold shift, and a confirmed persistent shift may become a revised baseline | Header |
| OSHA 1910.95(g)(1) | The audiometric testing programme's obligation extends to establishing whether exposure or a control failure underlies a detected shift | Investigation |
| OSHA 1910.95(g)(8)(ii) | Where hearing protectors are not being used, the employee shall be fitted and trained in their use; where protectors are already used, refitting or a more effective device shall be provided | Actions |
| OSHA 1910.95(g)(8)(iii) | Referral for further evaluation where additional testing is warranted or a non-occupational cause is suspected | Investigation |
| OSHA 1910.95(g)(8)(i) | The employee shall be notified in writing of a confirmed standard threshold shift within a defined period | Actions |
| 29 CFR 1904.10(a)-(b) | A confirmed standard threshold shift is recordable where the total hearing level averages 25 dB or more above audiometric zero at 2000, 3000 and 4000 Hz in the same ear | Actions |
What it does not cover
- Audiometric Test Record, the periodic hearing test itself and the source of the threshold data this review interprets rather than re-measures.
- Hearing Protection Fit Check, a dedicated attenuation test, separate from the general protection-use and suitability questions asked here.
- Noise Survey, which maps area or task exposure levels and is drawn on here rather than repeated.
- A personal dosimetry record, referenced through this review's linked dosimetry field, measuring actual exposure rather than being produced by this review.
- A CAPA or corrective action record, where the action this review raises is actually executed and tracked to closure.
Global
Standard Threshold Shift Review requirements by country
The United States names the follow-up steps and their sequence in regulation; other regimes fold the same judgement into a broader health surveillance duty, leaving the structure to occupational health practice.
OSHA 1910.95(g)(8) and 29 CFR 1904.10
Names confirmation, refitting and training, referral, and written notification as required steps, and separately sets the criteria for when a confirmed shift is recordable.
Each step maps to a specific subparagraph, so a skipped step, such as notification, is a citable gap rather than a matter of judgement.
Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, health surveillance provisions
Requires action following health surveillance results, including referral and review of exposure controls, without prescribing named follow-up steps.
Defensibility rests on showing a competent occupational health response and reconsidered controls, rather than matching a numbered procedure.
ISO 45001, clauses on nonconformity and corrective action
Treats a confirmed hearing shift as a nonconformity requiring investigation of cause and a corrective action, alongside any individual clinical response.
Auditors expect the group-level, control-failure investigation this review's group review field is meant to force, not just individual case closure.
How to complete it
How to complete a standard threshold shift review, step by step
The form prompts for confirmation, investigation and action in sequence. Whether the review is defensible depends on whether each step was reasoned through, not answered with the default that closes the case fastest.
A retest showing the original shift was not real, whether from a poor first test or a genuine temporary shift, changes everything downstream. Investigating and raising actions before confirmation risks a case built on a result that will not hold up if challenged later.
A single worker's confirmed shift is a medical and protection question. Several workers in the same group showing shifts is a different question, about whether an engineering or administrative control has failed, and the review has to ask it explicitly rather than let each case close alone.
Non-occupational exposure, from recreational noise to ototoxic medication to ageing, has to be actively ruled in or out, with the reasoning recorded. Defaulting to occupational because the worker is in a noise programme, or the reverse for convenience, both fail the same test: the record does not show why.
An action raised without an owner, a CAPA reference or a priority is a documented intention, not a completed response. The review is finished when the action it raised is tracked somewhere it will actually get done, not when the fields are filled.
What auditors find
Most common standard threshold shift review findings
Because the standard names the follow-up steps, findings on this review tend to be about a step skipped or answered by default rather than reasoned through.
| Finding | Clause | What fixes it |
|---|---|---|
| Shift acted on without confirmation by retest, or confirmation left pending indefinitely. | OSHA 1910.95(g)(9) | Require a confirmed or ruled-out retest result before the review proceeds to investigation. |
| Hearing protection use, suitability and fit not actually investigated, or answered without evidence. | OSHA 1910.95(g)(8)(ii) | Require a linked fit check or a documented conversation before closing the protection questions. |
| Non-occupational exposure not considered, or dismissed without reasoning recorded. | OSHA 1910.95(g)(8)(iii) | Record what was asked and what the worker reported, not just a yes or no conclusion. |
| Other workers in the same exposure group not checked despite a confirmed shift. | ISO 45001, corrective action | Trigger a group review automatically whenever a shift is confirmed, not left to the reviewer's discretion. |
| Worker not notified in writing within the required period. | OSHA 1910.95(g)(8)(i) | Track the notification date against the confirmation date and flag any review nearing the deadline unnotified. |
| Action raised with no owner, priority or CAPA reference attached. | General recordkeeping | Do not allow closure with action required marked yes and the CAPA field empty. |
Case in point
Case in point: the second refit that missed the first crew
A forging plant confirmed a threshold shift in a press operator and worked through the standard follow-up: retest confirmed, protection checked, refit with a higher-attenuation earplug, retraining logged, worker notified. By every field on the form it had done everything asked of it.
Four months later, two more operators on the same line showed shifts on their annual tests. The retrospective review found all three wore the same protector, rated adequately on paper, against a press that had developed a resonant frequency the rating did not account for. The first review's group review field had been marked not needed, because only one worker was affected at the time and nobody checked the other two before their own annual tests came due.
The template
The template, field by field
The form exactly as it installs. Every field, option, score and conditional rule is editable, and the links to other templates come with it.
3 sections
- Reference
- HLT-028
- Archetype
- Review
- Record ID
- STS-2026-000
- Scoring
- Not scored
- Direction
- n/a
- Singleton
- No
- Basis
- OSHA 1910.95(g)(8)
- Links
- Links Audiometric record, Worker
- Tags
- Health, Noise
- Sections
- 3
- Fields
- 44
- Follow up fields
- 3
- Repeating sections
- 0
- Links out
- 6
Header
16 fieldsReview ID*
Auto sequence. Format STS-2026-000.
The record's own ID. Other templates point at this value.
Status*
Drives who this goes to next.
- Planned2 pts
- In progress2 pts
- Complete3 pts
- Deferred0 pts
- Open0 pts
- Closed3 pts
- Overdue0 pts
Date and Time*
Completed By*
Site*
Site ID*
Format SITE-000.
Links to FDN-001 Site ID
Worker*
Person ID*
Format PER-0000.
Links to FDN-003 Person ID
Record Confidentiality
Clinical detail stays with occupational health. Management receives a fitness outcome and any restrictions, never a diagnosis. Restrict access to this template accordingly.
Clinical Detail Held Separately*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Access Restricted To Occupational Health*
- Yes3 pts
- Partly1 pt
- No0 pts
Worker Consent Obtained*
Consent to share the fitness outcome with the employer. Withdrawal is the worker's right.
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
A Shift Means Something Failed
A confirmed threshold shift means noise reached this person's ear despite the controls. Treat it as a control failure investigation, not just a medical follow up.
Audiometry Record ID*
Links to HLT-027 Record ID
Shift Magnitude*
Confirmed By Retest*
- Yes0 pts
- No, original invalid3 pts
- Pending1 pt
Investigation
12 fieldsNoise Exposure Reviewed*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Dosimetry Record ID
Links to HLT-005 Record ID
Exposure Above Action Level*
- No2 pts
- Yes0 pts
Hearing Protection Being Worn*
- Yes, consistently3 pts
- Intermittently1 pt
- No0 pts
Protection Suitable For The Noise*
- Yes3 pts
- Marginal1 pt
- No0 pts
Fit Check Done*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Fit Check ID
Links to HLT-029 Check ID
Protection Worn Consistently*
Removing protection for even a short period of a shift dramatically reduces effective protection.
- Yes3 pts
- Mostly1 pt
- No0 pts
Barriers To Wearing Identified
Non Occupational Exposure Likely*
- No2 pts
- Possible1 pt
- Likely1 pt
Other Workers In Same Group Affected*
Several shifts in one group points at the control, not the individuals.
- No3 pts
- Yes0 pts
Group Review Triggered*
- Yes3 pts
- Not needed3 pts
- No0 pts
Actions
16 fieldsProtection Changed Or Refitted*
- Yes3 pts
- Not needed2 pts
- No0 pts
Retrained On Use*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Noise Control Improvement Raised*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Exposure Reduced Or Reassigned*
- Yes3 pts
- Not needed2 pts
- No0 pts
Retest Interval Shortened*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Recordable Or Reportable*
- Neither3 pts
- Recordable1 pt
- Reportable0 pts
Case ID
Thread key
Worker Informed And Counselled*
- Yes3 pts
- No0 pts
Action Required*
Raise the action record, then enter its reference here.
- No2 pts
- Yes0 pts
Priority
- High0 pts
- Medium1 pt
- Low3 pts
CAPA ID
Format CAPA-2026-00000.
Links to FDN-014 CAPA ID
Action Owner
Occupational Health*
Signature*
Safety Lead*
Second Signature*
HLT-028 · record IDs look like STS-2026-000 · Links Audiometric record, Worker
Open in KnowellaRun it with agents
From a document you fill in to a programme that runs itself
The review's steps are well defined. What fails around it is the handoff either side: whether a shift ever reached this review, and whether the action it raises is tracked once the review closes.
Opens the review automatically when a linked audiometric test marks a shift detected, and blocks closure until confirmation, notification and a recordability decision are present.
Checks the exposure group's records whenever a shift is confirmed, so the group review draws on the actual register rather than the reviewer's memory.
Converts a refit-and-retrain outcome into a tracked competency requirement, so retraining does not end at the conversation logged here.
Tracks the notification deadline against the confirmation date, and flags an action with no CAPA reference before the review closes.
This template lives in KnowHealth — employee wellbeing. Exposure monitoring, health surveillance, case management and return to work.
Meet KnowHealth→Glossary
Standard Threshold Shift Review definitions and key terms
- Standard threshold shift (STS)
- A change in hearing threshold relative to baseline averaging 10 dB or more at 2000, 3000 and 4000 Hz in either ear, with age correction optionally applied.
- Confirmed by retest
- The status showing whether a second test has verified the shift found on the original audiogram, ruling out a temporary or measurement-error result.
- Revised baseline
- A new reference audiogram that may replace the original baseline where a confirmed shift is judged persistent, changing the point future tests are compared against.
- Recordable hearing loss
- A confirmed standard threshold shift where the total hearing level reaches 25 dB or more above audiometric zero at 2000, 3000 and 4000 Hz in the same ear, meeting the recordkeeping criteria independent of work-relatedness alone.
- Similar exposure group
- A group of workers with comparable noise exposure, used here to decide whether a confirmed shift in one worker warrants checking the records of the rest of the group.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about standard threshold shift review
Why confirm a shift by retest before investigating it?+
The first test can be wrong, whether from a temporary threshold shift, a poor quiet period, or measurement error, and an investigation built on a shift that does not hold up on retest wastes effort and can misdirect the worker's confidence in their own hearing.
What does a confirmed shift actually trigger?+
Investigation of protection use and exposure, written notification within the required period, a decision on referral for further evaluation, and a determination of whether the shift meets the recordable hearing loss criteria, each tracked as a distinct step.
Does a confirmed shift automatically mean the workplace caused it?+
No. Work-relatedness has to be actively assessed against non-occupational exposure such as recreational noise, ototoxic medication or ageing, with the reasoning recorded rather than assumed because the worker is enrolled in noise monitoring.
Why does one worker's shift matter to the rest of their crew?+
A shift frequently signals a control failure shared by everyone with similar exposure, not just an individual medical event. The group review step exists to catch that before it surfaces as a second and third case months later.
Is a confirmed shift always OSHA recordable?+
Only if the total hearing level meets the 25 dB threshold above audiometric zero at the specified frequencies in the same ear. A confirmed, work-related shift short of that level is real and actionable but not necessarily recordable.
What happens if the worker will not wear the refitted protection?+
The barriers to wearing field exists for this: recording what the worker reports as the obstacle, whether comfort, communication or fit, turns a compliance problem into something the review can actually act on.
Keep going
Related templates and programmes
Industries this is written for
Programmes this belongs to
Used together in Hearing Conservation
Similar Exposure Group Register
Groups workers who share the same tasks, agents and exposure patterns
Qualitative Exposure Assessment
Rates likely exposure using professional judgement, task knowledge and existing data, before any sampling
Audiometric Test Record
Records a worker's hearing test results
Hearing Protection Fit Check
Checks that a worker's hearing protection actually fits and gives the attenuation assumed
Noise Survey
Maps noise levels across an area to identify where protection and controls are needed
Hazard Communication Training
Covers chemical labels, safety data sheets and what the hazard symbols mean
More in Hearing Conservation
Written and reviewed by
Siddarth Singh
Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Knowella
Certified Safety Professional and industrial and systems engineer with more than a decade inside food supply chain, freight and manufacturing operations. This page was written against the current text of the standards it cites, not against secondary summaries of them.
- Certified Safety Professional (CSP), Board of Certified Safety Professionals
- MBA, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- MS and BS, The Ohio State University, Industrial and Systems Engineering
- Six Sigma Black Belt
Sources and last review. Reviewed 16 August 2026 against:
- OSHA 29 CFR 1910.95(g)(8) — Follow-up procedures for a standard threshold shift
- OSHA 29 CFR 1904.10 — Recording criteria for occupational hearing loss
- Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 (UK) — Health surveillance provisions
- ISO 1999 — Estimation of noise-induced hearing loss
This page is general guidance, not legal advice. Confirm requirements with your jurisdiction’s regulator.