Protecting your employees’ sensory health is essential for workplace safety and productivity. Hearing and vision screenings at Minnesota Occupational Health (MOH) help identify sensory impairments that can impact performance and safety.
Whether your team works in a regulated, safety-sensitive environment, a skilled trade or an office setting, addressing hearing and vision impairments can help reduce fatigue, improve quality control and prevent workplace accidents.
Inquire About Our Services
Protecting Vision With Comprehensive Screening
MOH provides specialized vision screenings to help employers meet safety regulations and ensure workplace readiness. These tests verify that employees can safely perform specific tasks, from reading fine print in an office to distinguishing colored signals in the field.
Our clinical team uses several industry-standard methods to assess visual health and job-site safety:
- Ishihara and Farnsworth tests (color vision): These tests identify color blindness or deficiencies. The Ishihara test uses “hidden” numbers in colored dots to find red-green defects, while the Farnsworth test provides a more detailed look at color arrangement. These are vital for electricians, pilots and technicians who must distinguish between colored wires or signals.
- Jaeger chart (near vision): This test assesses the ability to read small print up close, typically at a distance of 14 inches. It ensures that office staff, lab technicians and those performing fine mechanical work can see details clearly without strain.
- Snellen chart (distance vision): This classic eye chart measures how clearly an employee can see at a distance of 20 feet. It is essential for drivers, heavy equipment operators and any role where safety requires the ability to spot hazards from a distance.
- Titmus vision screener (depth and sharpness): This comprehensive screening tests for depth perception (stereopsis) and binocularity (how well the eyes work together). It is often used during DOT physicals and specialized industrial roles where judging distance is critical for safety.
Protecting Auditory Health With Audiometry
Hearing loss is one of the most common work-related illnesses. To prevent permanent damage, OSHA standard 1910.95 requires employers to provide a hearing testing program for all employees exposed to noise levels at or above an 8-hour time-weighted average of 85 decibels.
MOH helps businesses meet these federal requirements through a formal audiometric testing program that includes:
- Baseline audiograms: Within six months of an employee’s first exposure to high noise levels, the employer must provide a baseline test. This “starting point” is used to compare with future tests to detect hearing loss.
- Annual testing: After the baseline is established, employees must be tested every year. During annual testing, our provider reviews the results and provides the necessary clinical recommendations.
- Certified review: All tests are conducted with professional equipment in a controlled environment to ensure data accuracy and legal defensibility.
How Are Vision and Hearing Screenings Conducted?
We design our hearing and vision screenings to be efficient and noninvasive. During a vision screening, employees look at various charts or use a digital screener to measure clarity, color and depth.
For the hearing screening, employees sit in a controlled environment. They wear headphones and are asked to respond to tones at varying pitches and volumes. This allows our team to determine if an employee is experiencing hearing loss or if their current hearing protection is inadequate.
How Long Does a Hearing and Vision Test Take?
A standard hearing and vision screening typically takes less than an hour. To accommodate larger workforces, we can provide these services within our clinic or directly on your job site.
Choose Minnesota Occupational Health for Your Vision and Hearing Screenings
By partnering with our team, your business gains access to:
- Assistance with OSHA compliance to help meet relevant safety standards and maintain accurate records
- Expert assessment of sensory health through precise vision and hearing testing tailored to specific job duties
- Flexible testing options provided at your facility or in our clinics fit your schedule and needs
With five convenient locations—Coon Rapids, Eagan, Shakopee, St. Paul/Midway and Woodbury—we make it easy for employers to access high-quality occupational health services that keep your employees safe, healthy and productive.
Let Minnesota Occupational Health connect you with the occupational health services you need. Call (651) 968-5300 or contact us today to learn more about our services.