AUDIOMETRIC EXAMINATION (HEARING TEST)

Legal requirement for audiometric examination

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According to Workplace Safety and Health (Medical Examinations) Regulations 2011, every employer shall ensure that their workforce who are exposed to excessive noise (sound pressure level more than 85 dB(A) over an 8-hours work day) to ensure that their workforce undergo a audiometric examination . Audiometric examination is also an important element in the Hearing Conservation Programme.

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Qsafe Consultants and services provide the most competent personnel for performing audiometric examination (both air conduction, and bone conduction testing). Qsafe Consultants and services is serving for various clients start from conducting audiometric examination to their stakeholders until submission of audiometric examination results to Ministry of Manpower.

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Frequency of audiometric examination

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Initial audiometric examination shall be done not later than 3 months after the date he / she commences his employment. Thereafter every 12 months an audiometric examination shall be done.

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Bone conduction and auroscopic examination should be done if any of the air conduction result is more than 30 dB(A).

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Qsafe Consultants and services have a mobile van fixed with audiometric testing equipment to go to client premises and perform the audiometric testing for their workforce and our office also equipped with stationary audiometric testing room for serving the clients in adhoc basis.

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Duties of Employer

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• To ensure that their workforce who are exposed to excessive are underwent audiometric examination

• To ensure workers suspended by the Designated Workplace Doctor do not work in the noisy work area

• To ensure the personnel performing audiometric exam is certified and approved by Ministry of Manpower as an audiometric technician

• Recordkeeping of all the audiometric test reports for at least 5 years from the date of audiometric examination Industries normally exposed to high noise

• Shipbuilding & ship repairing industries – main trade personnel includes (but not limited to)

  • Fitters

  • mechanics

• Granite quarries - main trade personnel includes (but not limited to)

  • Crushers

  • Drillers

• Engineering works factories - main trade personnel includes (but not limited to)

  • Workforce involved in grinding

  • Workforce involved in sawing involving high velocity equipment

• Iron and steel mills, other heavy metal industries

• Metal working industries such as (but not limited to) making of ball and roller bearings, nuts, bolts and screws, metal cans

• Woodworking industry

• Textile industry

• Paper industry

• Engine testing such as (but not limited to) jet engines

• Industries with bottling processes and operations involving cans and metal boxes

• Landscaping - use of leaf blowers, lawnmowers and trimmers

Effects of exposure to high noise

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Acute effects

• Acoustic trauma

• acute rupture of the tympanum with or without bleeding

• Subjective sensation of pain in both ears at the time of noise exposure

• Usually caused by sudden explosive noise and

• Conductive hearing loss affecting all frequencies

Note: There may also be evidence of sensorineural loss, depending on whether the cochlea is affected.

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Chronic effects

• Noise-induced deafness (NID)

• Irreversible sensorineural hearing loss developing after prolonged exposure to excessive noise (≥ 85 dBA over an 8-hr period per day or its equivalent for more than 5 years)

• Worker is initially unaware of his hearing defect

• May present with tinnitus

• Audiogram: Bilateral high frequency sensorineural loss with a V-shaped pattern, worst in the 4 and/or 6 KHz frequencies (with hearing loss of > 30 dBA at these frequencies)

Note: Depending on the severity of hearing loss, NID cases may be classified into 2 stages.

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1st stage: NID (Early stage): mild to moderate hearing loss, (diagnosed by the audiogram picture of bilateral high frequency sensorineural loss where the average hearing threshold over 1, 2 & 3 KHz for air conduction in the better ear is < 50 dBA, with a noise exposure history of ≥ 5 years).

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2nd stage: NID (Advanced stage): severe and disabling hearing loss (diagnosed by the audiogram picture of bilateral sensorineural loss where the average hearing threshold over 1, 2 & 3 kHz for air conduction in the better ear is ≥ 50 dBA with an exposure history of ≥ 10 years).

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Other effects of noise exposure:

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• Some physiological responses have been reported, e.g., hypertension, variation in heart and respiration rate and

• Temporary threshold shift results following short exposures to excessive noise. This condition is reversible.

Is audiometric Examination exemption is possible?

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Yes, Companies may appeal to Ministry of manpower for changing the frequency of audiometric examination from one year once to two year once, if they complies with the following

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• Noise exposure in the workplace is below 85 dB(A)

• A good hearing conservation programme is in place and

• No significant deterioration in workers’ audiogram results over the past 5 years

Qsafe Consultants and services provides you the most competent audiometric technicaians who shall assist the employers in preparing and submitting the Application for Exemption from Medical Examinations Required Under the Workplace Safety and Health (Medical Examinations) Regulations, but approval is subject to Ministry of Manpower.

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Submission of audiometric examination to  MOM

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Audiometric Examination reports shall be compiled in the format as per the requirement of Ministry of Manpower and submitted online.

Qsafe Consultants and Services have experienced and competent audiometric technicians who shall prepare the audiometric examination report as per Ministry of Manpower requirements. The report shall be submitted online either by the employer or by the designated workplace doctor. Based on the client requirement, Qsafe Consultants and Services shall extend their service by submitting the audiometric examination report online.