EVALUATION OF THE KUDUWAVE AUDIOMETER FOR COMPLIANCE WITH STANDARDS FOR HEARING CONSERVATION PURPOSES

The evaluation of the Kuduwave audiometer against standards and regulations revealed that the Kuduwave complies with all required standards as an audiometer used for hearing conservation purposes as guided by the SANS 10083:2012. The Kuduwave (and its insert earphones) specifications adhere to SANS 8253-1:2011.

This report further specifies that the end-user using the Kuduwave audiometer for hearing conservation purposes as per the SANS 10083:2012 must comply with the minimum of three-monthly calibration and the keeping of adequate records of daily and weekly biological checks as per the SANS 10154:2012.

Furthermore, as much as the Kuduwave audiometer  is able to highly attenuate ambient noise, the user must ensure that the environment where testing down to 0 dBHL is conducted complies with maximum permissible ambient noise levels as per the SANS 10182:2006.

This report concludes that the Kuduwave audiometer complies for use in hearing conservation and therefore in medical surveillance since the above-mentioned standards are requirements for SANS 10083:2012, the standard which specifies how medical surveillance is conducted.

The Kuduwave audiometer has an advantage for quality control of the test validity and reliability, which is often a concern in occupational and industrial settings.