Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (Act No. 85 of 1993)

The Minister’s Advisory Council for Occupational Health and Safety granted approval from the establishment of a technical committee (TC) to review the Noise-Induced Hearing Loss Regulations of 2003. The TC is constituted of members of organised labour, organised business, specialists in the field of occupational health and safety and the Department of Employment and Labour.

Due to the complex nature of medical screening and medical surveillance with regard to assessing employees’ exposure to occupational noise and the resultant effects, a decision was taken by the TC to produce a code of practice for audiometry, incorporated under the new Noise Exposure Regulations. The Code of Practice for Audiometry is a move from a reactive approach to addressing occupational hearing loss to a proactive approach that incorporates all requirements of medical screening and medical surveillance, particularly audiometric testing, in one document.