WHS Regulation 2025, Part 4.1

Regulation

Frequent use of hearing protectors

Trigger

85 dB(A) TWA or 140 dB(C) peak

Noise Exposure Standard

Within 3 months of starting

Baseline Test

Every 2 years maximum

Repeat Interval

Paid by the PCBU

Cost

You need audiometric testing when workers are frequently required to use personal hearing protectors to protect them from noise at or above the exposure standard. The exposure standard for noise is 85 decibels as an eight-hour time-weighted average or 140 decibels peak. If your noise risk assessment identifies that workers are exposed at or above these levels and hearing protection is used as a control measure, audiometric testing is mandatory. Common industries where audiometric testing is required include construction where power tools, demolition, pile driving, and concrete work generate noise above the exposure standard. Manufacturing where machinery, pressing, stamping, and grinding generate sustained high noise levels. Mining where drilling, blasting, and heavy equipment generate extreme noise levels. Music and entertainment where amplified sound regularly exceeds the exposure standard. Metal fabrication where grinding, hammering, and cutting generate noise above the exposure standard.

You do not need audiometric testing when workers are not exposed to noise at or above the exposure standard and are not required to use hearing protectors. Office environments, retail premises, and other workplaces with ambient noise levels well below 85 decibels do not trigger the audiometric testing requirement. You also do not need audiometric testing if your noise controls eliminate or reduce noise below the exposure standard without relying on personal hearing protectors. If engineering controls such as machine enclosures, vibration damping, noise barriers, and sound-absorbing materials reduce noise to below 85 decibels at the worker's ear, and hearing protectors are not required, audiometric testing is not triggered. The key trigger is the frequent use of hearing protectors as a control measure, which indicates that the worker's noise exposure would otherwise exceed the exposure standard. Occasional, incidental exposure to brief periods of noise does not trigger the requirement.

Audiometric testing must be provided within three months of a worker commencing work that requires frequent use of hearing protectors. This baseline test establishes the worker's hearing threshold against which future tests are compared to detect any noise-induced hearing shift. Subsequent audiometric tests must be provided at intervals of not more than two years. Testing must be conducted by a person approved to conduct audiometric testing, which typically means an audiologist or an audiometrist using a calibrated audiometer in a sound-treated environment. The test results must be compared against the baseline to identify any threshold shift that may indicate noise-induced hearing loss. If a significant threshold shift is detected, the PCBU must investigate whether current noise controls are adequate and must take action to prevent further hearing loss. The worker must be informed of the test results and referred for further medical assessment if the results indicate hearing loss.

Audiometric testing is one component of a broader noise management framework under the WHS Regulation 2025. The PCBU must first identify noise hazards in the workplace, then assess the risk of noise-induced hearing loss, and then implement controls using the hierarchy of controls. Hearing protectors are the lowest level of control and must only be relied upon when higher-order controls including elimination, substitution, and engineering controls cannot reduce noise below the exposure standard. If your noise risk assessment identifies that workers are exposed above the exposure standard, you must implement engineering controls to reduce noise at the source before providing hearing protectors as supplementary protection. Common engineering controls include machine enclosures, damping materials, silencers on compressed air exhausts, vibration isolation mounts, and maintenance programs that address worn bearings, loose guards, and other noise sources. Administrative controls include job rotation to limit individual exposure duration and scheduling noisy work when fewer workers are present.

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