Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)
The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) is Ontario's workplace insurance system, providing no-fault insurance coverage to workers who are injured on the job or who develop an occupational disease as a result of their work. Noise-induced hearing loss is one of the occupational conditions covered by WSIB when a worker's audiological history shows hearing loss consistent with prolonged noise exposure in the workplace.
Workers who have been exposed to occupational noise at or above regulated levels over the course of their employment may file a WSIB hearing loss claim. The claim process typically involves an audiological assessment demonstrating the degree and pattern of hearing loss, a review of the claimant's occupational noise exposure history, and adjudication by WSIB to determine whether the hearing loss is work-related. When a claim is approved, WSIB may cover the cost of hearing aids, audiological services, and follow-up care related to the occupational hearing loss.
Audiologists providing services to WSIB claimants should document audiometric findings clearly, note the frequency configuration of the hearing loss (noise-induced loss typically produces a characteristic notch at 4,000 Hz), and provide a clinical opinion on the likely relationship between the hearing loss and occupational noise exposure. Ontario workplaces are required under Ontario Regulation 381/15 to have hearing conservation programs when workers are exposed to high noise levels, and WSIB claims data inform these regulatory standards.
