Occupational audiometry is a screening technique used to detect early damage to hearing resulting from exposure to noise. The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 requires employers to prevent or reduce risks to Health & Safety from exposure to noise at work. Employers have duties under the Regulations to:
- Assess the risks to your employers from noise at work.
- Take action to reduce the noise exposure that produces these risks.
- Provide your employees with hearing protection if you cannot reduce the noise exposure enough by using other methods.
- Make sure the legal limits on noise exposures are not exceeded.
- Provide your employees with information, instruction and training.
- Carry out health surveillance where there is a risk to health.
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Caer Health Services have the facility to undertake on-site audiometry testing and also the facility to undertake audio booth testing at Caer Health Service premises. As with all our health surveillance services, hearing tests are very convenient, simple to undertake and cause minimal disruption, with hearing tests taking only 15-20 minutes per person. The only on-site requirement that we need from you as the employer is the use of a convenient and quiet room near to the workforce. This allows us to perform the hearing surveillance to the Noise at Work Regulations guidelines at your workplace, without the requirement for an acoustic booth or an expensive mobile unit. The test includes a hearing assessment questionnaire which looks at previous occupations, noise exposure and otoscopic examination of the ear. The test results will be explained to the patient and will be followed by a report for your records.
If any person is found to fall outside normal hearing parameters, they will normally be referred on to a Doctor, usually their GP. If the audiometry is being done as part of your company specific medical criteria i.e. safety critical, then this is dealt with within your company policy and standards.
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