Name: Rocky Mountain Mobile Hearing Testing
Address: Calgary Alberta Canada, AB
Telephone: (403) 399-4775

One of the most effective ways to measure your hearing capacity is an audiogram. The audiogram is a results sheet put to use for “pure tone” hearing tests. They effectively indicate your range of hearing, from deep and quiet sounds to high, loud noises. Below, you can learn about the process of taking the test, reading the audiogram and possible indications of your results.

Additionally, we will give recommendations on how to combat hearing loss in your workplace. Among other options, custom earplugs can prove to be an asset for long-term dynamic hearing.

How We Use Audiograms

The Pure Tone Hearing Test

We typically perform hearing tests in one of our mobile vehicles for convenience. Inside, we have soundproof testing booths that meet local and provincial testing requirements, including CSA standards. We measure your hearing in both ears through a series of tones that rise in loudness for particular frequencies across a part of the sound spectrum.

When you arrive, you will don a set of headphones and hold a small button. Then, the tones will begin, and when you first hear the sound, you indicate it with the signal. The test records your input, and this process repeats until the completion of the test. Afterwards, we share the results with you and offer any insights we may have to share.

How to Read an Audiogram

The first step in reading an audiogram is to understand the two measures of assessment. The first is pitches and frequencies, which we measure in Hz (Hertz). You read this from a deep tone (250 Hz) on the left to a high tone (8000 Hz) on the right.

The second metric is loudness or intensity, which goes from quietest at the bottom and loudest at the top, and decibels (dB) are the unit of measurement. Typically, the audiogram has a range of 0dB (quiet) to 100 dB (loud).

Therefore, each mark on the audiogram indicates the lowest intensity threshold for multiple frequencies that each ear hears. Usually, we mark the right ear results with an “O” and the left ear with an “X.”

Interpreting the Results

Generally, hearing loss results from continuous exposure to loud noises or a single loud incident at close range. If we find results on your audiogram where you indicated hearing a particular frequency above a certain threshold, it is typically a sign of hearing loss.

However, ears will often have different frequency thresholds due to previous overexposure, and poor results in one ear might not show up in the other. As a result, when we share your test results, we may advise you to seek a medical professional for hearing-related concerns.

Custom Ear Plugs and Other Hearing Protection

If you work with loud noises regularly, you should have hearing protection. Although custom earplugs are the most effective method, disposable earplugs and reusable muffs are still better than leaving your ears without protection. All of this protective equipment reduces the intensity of sound and keep the sensitive inner ear safe from long-term damage. Work with your employer to find a solution that works to keep them protected and their workers safe.

Rocky Mountain Mobile Hearing Testing is your locally owned and operated Calgary business. We are committed to providing mobile hearing testing services and other safety tests, to numerous industries and companies in Western Canada. Our services are part of the WorkSafeBC Provider Network, while our sound booths are approved by the CSA. We offer audiometry testing, mask fit testing, custom earplugs, noise measurements, help with implementing a hearing conservation program, and spirometry testing. If you want to improve your workplace, leave it in the hands of our team. Contact us today on (403) 399-4775.

Audiometry testing is required in Alberta when workers will be exposed to detrimental levels of noise. This goes hand-in-hand with providing adequate and appropriate hearing protection. For an employer to determine whether or not they require hearing protection and audiometric testing, they are required to complete a site survey.

This process involves going to each area that has the potential for high levels of noise and testing the decibel level with calibrated and working equipment. It must also be performed by certified technicians who can interpret the results and prepare a report based on the testing performed. But, once this step is completed, how do they determine appropriate hearing protection?

How Did We End Up with Audiometry Testing?

What is an Occupational Exposure Limit?

An occupational exposure limit (OEL) is a limit set by the Alberta or Federal government to determine the acceptable level of exposure for a worker in a typical shift. These OEL’s exist for all sorts of hazardous materials, including chemicals, airborne contaminants, and noise. During the site testing, described above, the ultimate result is a report stating the amount of exposure, measured in decibels, a worker will receive when working in a noisy area.

It is then an employer’s responsibility to select and implement hearing protection that lowers their exposure below the OEL. Employer’s typically complete this task by speaking with their safety equipment providers, but how do the providers know how much the noise is reduced?

What is a Noise Reduction Rating?

A noise reduction rating (NRR) is the measure of hearing protection an individual item will offer. It can be a little strange to measure, but essentially, if you halve the NRR you will have the number of decibels it reduces from the total. For example, earplugs typically have an NRR of 30-40 which means the decibels are reduced by 15-20.

Proper safety equipment and policies must be put in place to reduce the total amount of decibels a worker is subjected to in an 8-hour shift.

As an example of this, industrial sandblasting equipment typically operates between 100-120 decibels. A sandblaster who will be exposed to this level of noise will be required to wear well-fitted, disposable earplugs, reducing their exposure to roughly 80-100 decibels. As the OEL for noise in Alberta sits at 88 decibels, this is almost sufficient. But then, they must wear insulated blasting hoods to protect their heads and lungs from the sandblasting dust, which carry their own NRR of 30-40. This further reduces their exposure to 60-80 decibels, and they are now no longer exposed to the detrimental effects of noise.

Audiometry Testing Ensures Protective Equipment Works

So now that we know how employer’s responsibilities to their workers are determined, why do we need audiometric testing? We need it because it establishes a baseline, and tests workers hearing year over year to ensure their hearing does not worsen, which would be a sign their hearing protection is not adequate.

Mobile hearing testing is a great way for employers to ensure they comply with occupational health and safety legislation. It allows them to test their employees without having to send them off-site, or spend their personal time on business affairs. It is also important to remember that mobile hearing testing is only required if there are detrimental levels of sound present at the workplace. However, the question remains: how often should you receive mobile hearing testing?

Legislatively, mobile hearing testing is only required annually. The reason for this is two-fold. Firstly, when hearing testing is done annually, it allows new employees to establish a base-line average for their hearing. Secondly, it allows returning employees to compare the results of their hearing test year-over-year, so that they can see if there are any differences or degradations since their last appointment.

However, sometimes annual mobile hearing tests are insufficient. Circumstances can arise that would require mobile hearing testing to occur at a frequency of every six months. These would include new processes or machinery that increases workers’ potential exposure to high levels of noise. As well, if there was a workplace incident or an employee had an incident where they were exposed to high levels of noise exceeding the occupational exposure limit (OEL) there could be sufficient cause to increase their hearing testing, to see if a change has occurred.

Mobile Hearing Testing Helps Keep Your Employees Protected

In closing, annual hearing testing is an important requirement for employers who have high volumes of sound present at their workplace. Industrial and commercial industries are often the employers required to do this testing, but if you are unsure if mobile hearing testing is required in your workplace, it is important to do a test of the audio levels in your workplace. This will remove the guesswork, and make it easy to know whether you should consult certified and mobile audiometric testing professionals.