standards for asbestos. However, tenders and repair ships  that  do  asbestos  work  in  port  in  other  than emergency conditions must comply with EPA standards. TRAINING Shipboard  asbestos  removal  teams  should  be trained through a formal course of instruction at a fleet training center, at a ship repair facility, or at a shipyard lagging shop. All hands who work in areas that contain asbestos insulation should be trained to recognize and report  damaged  asbestos  material.  Copies  of  training handouts should be available to personnel upon request. Training records should identify the individuals and dates of training. All personnel who are now exposed or may be exposed to asbestos (such as an emergency repair team) and their division officer and work center supervisors should receive training in the following subjects at or before their initial assignment and each year  thereafter: l l l l l l l An  overall  review  of  the  command’s  and activity’s asbestos program The  health  effects  and  hazards  of  asbestos The association between the smoking of tobacco products and exposure to asbestos in producing lung cancer The  engineering  controls  and  work  practices associated  with  an  individual’s  work  assignment The  purpose,  proper  use,  and  limitations  of protective  equipment The purpose and description of the AMP The  description  of  emergency  and  clean-up procedures THE HEARING CONSERVATION PROGRAM The   Navy   recognizes   hearing   loss   as   an occupational  hazard  that  requires  considerable attention. It is more common in ratings where personnel are exposed to high-intensity noise, such as gunfire or missile  fire,  and  intermittent  noise,  such  as  jet  or propeller   aircraft,   engineering   machinery,   and equipment.  This  section  gives  a  broad  view  of  the hearing conservation program, but there may be unique noise   conditions   that   do   not   fall   under   current instructions   and   guidelines.   In   those   cases,   the responsible party should request guidance and approval from   the   Navy   Environmental   Health   Center (NAVENVIRHLTHCEN). PROGRAM  ELEMENTS The goal of the hearing conservation program is to prevent  occupational  hearing  loss  among  Navy personnel as far as possible. The program includes the following  elements: l l l l Survey work environments to identify hazardous noise levels and personnel at risk. Modify  areas  and  equipment  that  produce hazardous  noise  and  reduce  noise  levels  to acceptable   limits.   Use   personal   hearing protective equipment as an interim measure while  exploring  engineering  methods  to  reduce noise.  Use  administrative  controls  where engineering   controls   are   not   feasible.   Use hearing  protective  devices  as  a  permanent measure  only  if  engineering  or  administrative controls  are  not  feasible. Conduct  periodic  hearing  tests  to  monitor program   effectiveness   and   to   detect   early changes in hearing before permanent hearing loss  develops.  Provide  follow-up  diagnostic evaluation and treatment for all personnel found to have loss of hearing. Train all personnel who are exposed to hazardous noise  environments  to  understand  that  permanent loss of hearing is possible unless they protect themselves.  Train  them  in  the  command’s responsibility to protect against hearing loss, and the  individual’s  responsibility  to  follow command procedures. Train them to use hearing protective devices both on and off duty if they are in a noise hazard area. NOISE MEASUREMENT AND EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT Before we can control noise, we must measure it according to standard procedures and then evaluate it against accepted criteria. Industrial hygienists or others trained  in  the  procedures  will  normally  measure  the noise  throughout  the  ship  at  each  18-month  baseline industrial hygiene survey. They also will do a follow-on survey but they need not take actual measurements at that time unless there is doubt about the baseline measurements.  The  safety  officer  should  keep  a  copy  of the record of noise measurements until it is superseded by a later survey. An industrial hygienist or other trained 10-4