OSHA Safety Bulletin, Hearing Protector Fit Testing (HPFT) Guidance

February 23, 2026

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is pleased to announce the publication of a new Safety and Health Information Bulletin (SHIB): Hearing Protector Fit Testing (HPFT): Ensuring Appropriate Noise Protection at Work. HPFT is a critical advancement in workplace hearing conservation and is recognized as a best practice. This new guidance describes how HPFT can be used to ensure that workers can achieve appropriate noise reduction with hearing protectors at work without interfering with their ability to hear important sounds around them (e.g., communication, warning signals). While HPFT is not mandated in OSHA regulations, the document gives employers and employees an overview of how HPFT fits with the Occupational Noise Exposure standard  (29 CFR 1910.95) to prevent hearing loss and provides resources for employers looking to implement HPFT to protect workers’ hearing.

OSHA has adopted this important technology as part of the OSHA Field Safety and Health Management System, and encourages all employers who have noise-exposed employees to add this to their hearing conservation programs.

For more information, please see OSHA’s Occupational Noise Exposure Safety and Health Topics page.