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HSMC Audiometry and hearing testing main page Home
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HSMC audiometry Audiometry
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Employer's responsibilities for hearing testing Employers' responsibilities
 Audiometry routine
The results and what they mean Audiometry results
The recommended re-test schedule for hearig tests Audiometry re-tests
Additional hearing testing information which may be useful Additional audiometry info.
Additional hearing testing information which may be useful Age related hearing loss
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HSMC Noise surveys Noise surveys
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Fire risk assessment Fire risk assessment
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Health and Safety Training Health and safety training
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Safety Audits Policies and procedures
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About HSMC - who we are Free stuff
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About HSMC - who we are About hsmc
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HSMC

HSMC audiometry trailer

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See the noise section of the website for example workplace noise levels
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 HSMC Audiometry

Employer's responsibilities for audiometry

Workplace Audiometry is one of the more recent health and safety requirements which employer's now have to meet with the obligation being introduced by the 2005 Control of Noise at Work Regulations.

Do you have high noise levels?
The first question therefore is whether you have noise levels which expose employees to noise levels of 85dB(A) or higher over their 8 hour working day. If 'yes' then you have a requirement to undertake audiometry, while if 'no' you can assume that the risk levels are low and your risk levels mean audiometry is not mandatory.

Other benefits from audiometry at work:

Audiometry and damage limitation
Audiometry is a sensitive tool and can identify any losses in hearing well before they become detrimental to the individual thereby allowing the employer to take remedial action before any harm is suffered. Obviously this is great for the individual concerned but the employer also benefits from the improved employee protection through benefits such as improved morale, reduced insurance premiums and reduced or eliminated compensation claims.

More information on the type of injury caused by noise is given in
the Noise part of this site

Insurance and Audiometry
Many insurers will base their premiums on a measure of the risk level they consider the employer to pose therefore the better the risk management the more likely you are to receive lower premiums. In the medium to long term a strong audiometry programme will result in fewer claims against you and hand in hand with this reduction in claims rate come lower premiums.

(In the real world an insurer will rather send their children round to clean your chimneys than reduce their premium, but a good safety programme, including a solid audiometry and noise management system, will slow the rate of premium increase)

Confirmation of controls via audiometry
Most employers have some form of control in place for noise, ranging from enclosures and noise screens down to the provision of ear plugs and muffs. What is difficult to achieve however is confirmation that these controls are working and that the protection is sufficient. Audiometry provides this means and can be used to identify tasks or protective measures which may need further improvement, or from a more positive perspective, audiometry can confirm that your protective measures are sufficient and are achieving the required results.

Compliance - using audiometry to modify employee behaviour
Where people are beginning to suffer a reduction in their hearing ability they may not be aware of it and the process of audiometry can motivate them to change their behaviour. The audiometry result itself enables them to visualise the state of their hearing, perhaps for the first time, and see how it is compared to the normal levels for their age.

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