Process

For the Audiometric session, a quiet room (ideally secluded) on site will be required for the testing to be taken place in. We allow between 15 and 20 minutes per test.

Guidelines prior to testing

To ensure reliable and accurate testing some factors need to be considered prior to the test day. Temporary threshold shift (TTS) is something that will need to be minimised. Ideally tests should be conducted before high exposure to noise occurs on the day. It is worth mentioning to employees to try to reduce noise exposure while travelling to the test. However this will not be practical in most situations. Alternatively it may be useful to advise employees to use additional hearing protection in the period before the test where noise exposure will be present. Unless there is a prolonged (16 hour or more) period free from high noise levels before testing it is difficult to exclude any contribution from TTS. However all future tests will be carried out in a similar manner. The initial test is of the utmost importance as this is the baseline and will be used as the comparison for all future tests.

There are 4 parts to the Audiometric process:

1: Audiological history/Pre-test questionnaire
A thorough history is taken prior to testing to identify any factors that may influence the final Pure Tone Audiogram.

2: Otoscopic examination A thorough examination of the external auditory canals is next identifying any contraindications for testing or any active problems e.g. excessive wax, infection, discharge. 3: Hearing test Carried out in a “quiet room” (measured to ensure less than 30dB(A)) according to BSA recommended procedures. The subject will wear special noise reducing headphones and will listen to sounds of various pitches and intensity until identification of the quietest audible sounds (threshold) is made. To compliment this we will also carry out bone conduction testing which can help to identify any underlying middle ear problems. Furthermore, a Tympanometer will be on hand for middle ear analysis if applicable/required.

4: Review of results/Company report
Results obtained and plotted onto an Audiogram can therefore be classified using the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) criteria. All personnel tested will receive an explanation of results so that they have an understanding of their hearing. Any prior Audiograms carried out can therefore be used as a comparison.

A final report is then submitted to the employer (electronic and/or paper) giving the results of hearing tests. This will include an explanation of the assessment criteria and a summary of employees tests results. Detailed explanation is provided in case any referrals are necessary as well as follow-up action. In such cases referrals to the employees GP may be necessary. Each individual employee will receive a personal report for their benefit. It is important for the results to be kept as part of health records for employee's, however any confidential medical information will be kept by us and only passed on with written permission from the employee.

Further testing: Initially a baseline assessment is made. Typically annual tests for the first two years are carried out and then at three-yearly intervals, although testing may be more frequent where an abnormality in hearing is detected or where the risk of hearing damage is high.

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