WorkCover WA Audiometric Testing

***The Workers Compensation and Injury Management Act 2023 takes effect on 1 July 2024 and supersedes the 1981 Act. Implications for audiometric testing for Noised Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) under the new Act can be found here. Transitional arrangements require that the testing process found in the 1981 Act continue up to and including 30 June 2024. This means that employers of prescribed workplaces are required to conduct audiometric testing and results must be recorded in WorkCover WA’s online system. KINNECT will continue to deliver these services for our partners during this period.***

Research indicates that between 28-32% of Australia’s workforce work in a noisy environment. Excessive exposure to noise can lead to temporary or permanent hearing loss, with many victims experiencing tinnitus (ringing in the ears). This hearing loss can occur either from prolonged noise exposure or one single episode of explosive sound.

Although preventable, noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is the most common cause of permanent hearing loss in Australia. Industries most at risk of excessive occupational noise include mining, manufacturing, transport, construction and logistics.

If you are a PCBU in Western Australia, you are required to abide by laws designed for risk management of noise exposure. Under Work Health and Safety Regulations ‘noisy employers’ in Western Australia are required to conduct periodic audiometric testing for employees. KINNECT will continue to deliver services under this regulatory framework. Periodic audiometric testing is required in addition to other controls to protect workers against hearing loss from exposure to hazardous noise.

Your Responsibilities as an Employer in Western Australia

In 2024, WorkCover Western Australia (WA) are rolling out two substantial changes with respect to Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) to align with the commencement of the Workers’ Compensation and Injury Management Act 2023.

• Audiometric Officers will no longer be required to conduct audiometric testing within the Workers’ Compensation scheme in WA (WCWA audios). In effect, the position of Audiometric Officer will no longer exist.
• Mandatory hearing tests of workers by employers will be discontinued. As of 31 March 2024, Mandatory testing of hearing in WA falls under the Work Health and Safety Act and Regulations (most pertinently regulation 58 and 118of the WHS (General) Regulations 2022).

Audiometric testing is required for workers who are exposed to 85dB or above throughout a standard day or peaks of 140dB in a workplace where workers receive or are likely to receive a representative daily noise dose of 85dB(A) or above in an eight-hour day. This is approximately equal to the noise of an idling heavy motor truck one metre away. A workplace is also considered a prescribed workplace if noise exposure peaks at 140dB(lin) at any time. This is approximately equal to the peak noise level from a blast or siren being sounded close to the worker.

Workers undergo one baseline hearing test in their lifetime.

As a PCBU, it is your responsibility to arrange and pay for the testing for each employee. The baseline audiometric test provides a reference point for future testing to indicate changes in hearing over a year-long period. Each subsequent audiometric test is then compared with the baseline to determine percentage loss of hearing (PLH).

Identifying Noise Induced Hearing Loss

At KINNECT, all audiometry testing programs nationally are conducted in line with the Australian and New Zealand Occupational Noise Management Standard (AS/NZS 1269.4:2024), with support from Safe Work Australia Codes of Practice. This standard and the codes of practice ensure that providers deliver audiometric testing in a consistent, high-quality way.

The Standard is a comprehensive, detailed document and outlines how testers and companies are to conduct surveillance audiometry and periodic testing, the calculations to assess changes in hearing, referral criteria, and actions following significant hearing deterioration. Please rest assured that our staff have been formally trained in the standard.

At the time of assessment, the reference audiometry is assessed by means of a strict criterion detailed by the National Acoustics Laboratories (Table 1 & Figure 1 – NAL 80) and referenced in the Occupational Noise Management Standard (AS/NZS 1269.4:2024).

Preparing for Audiometric Testing

The method your employee’s use to travel to their audiometric assessment can impact the results outcome. If an employee travels a long distance to their appointment in a noisy environment, e.g. motorbike, their ears will require a 16-hour period of adjustment prior to attending the appointment. It is important that the employee is not exposed to more than 80dB in the 16 hours prior to the appointment. For reference, this is equal to the noise a vacuum cleaner makes from 1 metre away. If this is not adhered to, inaccurate results may be provided which could lead to unnecessary further testing.

Additionally, if your employee has recently experienced a cold or ear discharge, please contact us prior to proceeding with an appointment. This is due to ear infections having a direct impact on hearing, which in turn affects the accuracy of results.

Results

All WorkCover WA audiometric test results are uploaded to the NIHL portal by KINNECT for confirmation and record-keeping. If the assessment is completed for pre-employment, you must confirm the applicant’s employment prior to the results being uploaded. If an applicant does not commence employment within three months of testing, the audiometric results are no longer valid. A copy of the results will be provided to you within one month once received by WorkCover WA.

Please note that as of 1 July 2024, occupational health service providers and employers are no longer required to upload audiometric testing results in the WorkCover WA Portal. This also means that from this date KINNECT will not send monthly reports of those workers who have completed a Work Cover WA audiometric test or request the employer to acknowledge if they remain employed.

Furthermore, as of 31 March, 2024, it has become the employer’s responsibility to evaluate audiometric data and determine whether further action is required to protect workers from exposure from hazardous noise. This can be an onerous task and KINNECT’s experienced staff are happy to perform this service offering for you.

Workers Compensation and Injury Management for NIHL

In the event of a Worker’s Compensation Claim, WorkCover WA will advise whether or not further testing is required for non-baseline audiometric results. If the level of hearing loss is at 10 per cent or more, the worker will be required to undertake further testing by an Audiologist and/or ENT.

As of 1st July 2024, if an audiological test conducted by an Audiologist reveals threshold hearing loss, then an Ear Nose and Throat Specialist (ENT) will conduct a NIHL assessment for the purposes of Workers’ Compensation claims. The ENT will also determine if more than one employer has contributed to the hearing loss according to records held by WCWA (if available), the worker, and the worker’s employment noise history. The ENT makes a Yes/No determination as to whether each employer in the worker’s employment history has contributed to NIHL.

Even when other employers contributed to NIHL, claims are paid as a lump sum by the “last employer‘’. If the last employer’ wants to seek recovery or apportionment from previous employers, they must seek a determination by WorkCover WA. WorkCover WA will make the apportionment determination on the basis that NIHL occurs on an equally culminative basis over the period of noise exposure between each liable employer. For example, if an organisation employed a worker for 50% of the exposure period, then they will be liable for 50% of the claims cost.

References

1. WorkCover WA Noise Induced Hearing Loss: https://www.workcover.wa.gov.au/workers/understanding-your-rights-obligations-entitlements/hearing-loss/