If all the action was going on in internal company programs then we might not see the market, but we ought to see the results. These results being improving rates of hearing health in workers.

We can get a glimpse of this factor since the state of Michigan does an annual audit where people who have hearing problems sufficient to make them decide to visit an audiologist are reported to the state by the audiologist. In its simplest form the process works like this:

1. if the audiologist determines the hearing problem may have been work related the audiologist files a report with the State.

2. the State then goes out to the workplace to conduct an inspection.

This graph shows the age at which people in the state of Michigan are now walking into an audiologist’s office saying “I have a hearing problem.” And that age is now down in the 40-45 year old range. This is no longer a senior citizen problem - this is now a problem for baby boomers who are working today.

Another interesting conclusion of this annual study is that 43% of the companies that had these workers did not have a hearing conservation program and had levels that required a hearing conservation program. Maybe the NOES study is not so far off?