More manufacturing companies are continuing to choose Spartanburg County and the Upstate as their home for operating factories and assembly lines.

Per national safety requirements, those manufacturers with facilities that reach a certain noise exposure level are required to have their associates’ hearing tested annually. These hearing conservation programs are a way to address work-related hearing loss.

To make this efficient and effective, Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System’s WorkHealthySC program operates an audiometric mobile unit to perform onsite audiology testing.

The unit has the capacity to simultaneously test four patients at a time within individual hearing booths, with tests averaging 10 minutes in length.

Companies have enjoyed the benefits of Spartanburg Regional’s audiology testing, as workers are tested onsite quickly and the process to see occupational physicians for potential follow-up testing is seamless, said April Hart, Director of WorkHealthySC Onsite Services.

“If someone needs a retest, we can bring that person into our clinic to meet with occupational physicians and do a hearing exam there and determine whether it’s personal-related hearing loss or from the jobsite,” she said.

Companies have said the services offered have allowed their production schedules to continue running smoothly while conducting their essential testing.

“Spartanburg Regional is very flexible and easy to work with. Having an audiometric truck come onsite is a massive time-saver when you have multiple shifts running and you’re trying to keep production going at the same time,” said Tracy Benton, the human resources manager for MINILEIT, a Greenville-based manufacturing company that produces exhaust pipes and other high temperature insulation systems. “Everyone is extremely professional and does a great job handling the screenings in a timely manner.”

WorkHealthySC's mobile unit can also conduct tests and be onsite during times that work best for companies. So, if most of a company’s workers are on second or third shift based on productivity needs, the mobile unit can accommodate those schedules, Hart said.

“Per OSHA guidelines, companies that exceed the noise exposure level need this service on an annual basis. We can do hearing tests onsite efficiently in one day versus the employer having to send the 100 employees away from their job offsite to get tested,” Hart said.

For those interested in WorkHealthySC's audiology test program, visit WorkHealthySC.com.

“We’re helping employers by allowing less time off work and preventing decreased productivity, especially with some companies struggling to find employees,” Hart said. “We’re happy to offer this efficient and convenient way for companies to address this need.”