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Associated Health Surveillance.
A Trading Division of Commercial Connections Ltd |
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Associated Health Surveillance is a service to industry to help meet the demands of regulations relating to the protection of employee health.
We are committed to offering the highest standards of assessment and surveillance to meet the challenges of new relevant legislation affecting industry.
To enable us to meet these high standards we employ some of the best equipment and facilities available, and all consultants are trained and certified by the relevant governing bodies for the particular discipline. |
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Audiometric Services Provided
Why Industrial / Occupational Audiometry?
It is now a statutory duty under the new Health and safety regulation “The Control of Noise at Work Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2006”
Regulation 9 “Health Surveillance”
“Employees who are, or are liable to be, exposed to noise, the employer shall ensure that such employees are placed under suitable health surveillance, which SHALL include TESTING OF THEIR HEARING.”
With the action levels and exposure limits lowered, this will affect even more employers.
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Why use Associated Health Surveillance for your hearing test requirements?
Associated Health Surveillance screens on your site and can offer more than the basic hearing screening. We use a specially equipped and insulated mobile clinic incorporating an IAC diagnostic Audiology booth similar to those used within hospitals and private clinics.
The clinic is heated and air-conditioned for the comfort of your employees.
Fourfold advantage to the employer:
- Planned and limited interruption to the busy working day (no employees needing to take time away from the working site)
- The diagnostic level clinic ensures very accurate measurements with the advantage of meaningful comparisons for future screening and monitoring. (This is a very important requirement to the insurance industry who will be underwriting all of your basic employers liability insurance)
- Testing can be carried out at any time of the year within the temperature controlled environment.
4. Referral Service Offered
Because of the diagnostic booth we can offer an extra service, again on your own site. Any employee, who by H.S.E categorisation requires referral, can be retested by clinically qualified audiologists in the same controlled environment. This can considerably improve the identification of actual/genuine cases where employees are at risk of Noise Induced Hearing Loss in the working environment.
Referral tests will be conducted within the same environment by Mr. Raymond Flanagan (Head of Audiology at a major Hospital Trust) or his appointed deputy. |
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This extra professional service has been found to be very popular with employers in that:
a) No-one has ever to leave the working site to be referred to a G.P who only refers on to the audiologist.
b) It has a less demoralising or straining effect on employee to employer relations.
c) It can reduce and identify malingerers (time wasters) who may have motives which are not in the company’s best interests. Considerably reduces, time away from the working environment, and costs incurred |
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The Control of Noise at Work Regulations Northern Ireland (2006)
It is a legal requirement that a risk assessment must be undertaken if any employee is likely to be exposed to noise at or above the lower exposure action values. |
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When selecting or comparing quotations and competencies for choosing the right method of assessment. The checklist below should be used to help grade your selection |
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Essential
Ø Description of Objectives and equipment used.
Ø Assessment of Personal daily exposure (LEP,d).
Ø Who is exposed to noise above the Action Level?
Ø Which machines or processes contribute most to individual’s noise exposure?
Ø Are noise levels above 85dB(A) assessed. Has the noise from impulsive tools like cartridge guns been properly assessed against the peak (140dB) action level.
Ø Summary of existing control measures.
Ø All the data used in calculating (LEP,d) (i.e. sound level meter/dosemeter readings and estimates of exposure time).
Ø Hearing protection & calculation of expected performance.
Ø Summary of control measures used by employees.
Ø Which areas need to be marked as mandatory ear protection zones?
Ø Observations and Conclusions.
Ø Health surveillance requirements if appropriate. |
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Desirable
Ø Sketch Plans to indicate where the noise readings where taken.
Ø Frequency band analysis (if necessary)
Ø New machinery purchase policy.
Ø Handout for employees.
Ø Recommendations for an action plan. |
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The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations Northern Ireland (2005)
Hand-Arm Vibration (HAV) is a wide spread hazard for employees in many industries and occupations
HAV exposure at work can arise from the use of hand held power tools, hand guided machinery and hand fed machines. Examples can range from angle grinders to lawnmowers. |
Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS):
Is an industrial disease which affects the blood vessels, nerves, muscles and joints of the hand, wrist and arm:
- This can become severely disabling if ignored.
- Its best known form is Vibration White finger (VWF) which can be triggered by cold or wet weather and can cause severe pain in the affected finger.
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It is now the legal duty of employers to control the risk to Health and Safety from Hand-Arm vibration |
Ø AHS can offer Institute of Acoustics trained competent persons in the management of occupational exposure to hand-arm vibration. This consists of exposure assessment advice to relevant health & safety personnel within a company.
Ø Exposure magnitude analysis in accordance CVAWR
Ø Actual orthogonal Tri-axial Measurement as and when deemed necessary
Ø Phd Associate Consultant in vibration for expert witness
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Hearing Protection
Providing personal hearing protection should be one of your first considerations on discovering a risk to the health of your employees due to noise.
It should not be used as an alternative to controlling noise by technical and organisational methods but used to limit the noise risk while other control measures can be implemented and developed.
Factors that are likely to influence your selection of hearing protection;
Ø Noise Reduction (Attenuation) offered by protectors
Ø Pattern of Noise Exposure
Ø Compatibility with safety equipment
Ø Comfort
Ø Use Preference
Ø Suitable for the environment in which they are to be used i.e. heat, humidity, dust, dirt etc
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The new regulations state that the protector selected should ideally aim to attenuate to a level between 80 and 75dB at the ear. It recommends that 70dB or less should be avoided as this could be in danger of OVERPROTECTION.
Training and effective use of the protector should be provided to ensure maximum performance is achieved. The graph below shows effectiveness of hearing protection in relation to time worn
AHS offer powerpoint presentations on the importance of protecting your hearing & predicting the attenuation provided by hearing protection. |
The principal 3 methods for predicting the attenuation given by hearing protection are: Octave-band method, HML Method & SNR Value. AHS only use the more accurate octave band method with required octave band noise spectrum levels because other methods become less accurate when the noise is dominated by single frequency noise, particularly at low frequencies. Our NOR-PROTECT software allows us to show accurate comparisons between various brands and protector types.
Where it is important that warning signals or good speech communication is deemed necessary the HSE suggest that protectors with a flat frequency response may be preferred. AHS can offer, within a custom moulded product, the ELCEA range of flat frequency response protection tailored to the individual needs of the client.
See our Hearing Protectors in our Product Catalogue on the left hand side.
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