Abstract

The Audioscan audiometer was developed at France's Institut national de recherche et de sécurité (INRS) (National Research and Safety Institute) to identify noise-induced hearing impairment at an early stage. In contrast to conventional audiometric screening equipment, which only examine pre-defined frequencies, the Audioscan can scan all frequencies between 250 Hz and 16,000 Hz. This facilitates the detection of impairments which would otherwise have gone unnoticed and the initiation of activities aimed at limiting incapacitating hearing impairment. In addition, the results of Audioscan tests shed light on the nature of hearing incapacities suffered by workers.

Although the Audioscan requires no further technical development, its clinical validity as an early screening tool had not been established. An experimental laboratory study was therefore carried out using 25 subjects unfamiliar with audiometric tests. Now that the Audioscan has been validated, health and safety specialists can use it to evaluate hearing impairment in Québec workers exposed to noise.