Certified Safety Professional Practice Exam

The correct answer, which identifies the type of hearing loss caused by issues in the middle and outer ear, is conductive hearing loss. This type of hearing loss occurs when there is a problem in the pathway that sound travels through the outer ear and middle ear to the inner ear. Issues may include ear infections, fluid in the middle ear, earwax buildup, or damage to structures in the outer or middle ear, which prevent sounds from being transmitted effectively.

Conductive hearing loss can often be treated medically or surgically, making it distinct from other types of hearing loss. For example, sensorineural hearing loss pertains to problems in the inner ear or the auditory nerve pathways and often results from damage to the hair cells inside the cochlea or from the nerve pathways that carry sound to the brain. On the other hand, mixed hearing loss is a combination of both conductive and sensorineural factors and psychogenic hearing loss involves hearing impairment that stems from psychological, rather than physical, causes.