Launch of Workcovers' Registration Card to combat hearing loss

29/7/94

Labour Relations Minister Graham Kierath has launched an Australian first in occupational health.

It is the WorkCover Workers' Registration Card, a new system to combat hearing loss caused by industrial noise.

One in seven Australians suffer some form of hearing loss through noise and in its effort to reduce this in Western Australia, Workcover has now collected more than 100,000 test results.

Mr Kierath issued the first registration cards to mining industry employees at Alcoa, Kwinana, today.

"This is a very innovative step to help protect workers in noisy occupations which are detrimental to health," he said.

Every WA worker in such an industry will receive a card.

"It carries a file number and provides easy access to the test details which will be in confidential storage at the WorkCover data base," Mr Kierath said.

"It is an efficient and cost-saving method."

The Minister said almost half of 79,000 tests analysed by WorkCover showed hearing defects through noise.

The majority had a deficiency of three per cent or less.

Although this impairment was not significant in terms of total deafness, it was sufficient to adversely affect a person's lifestyle.

"Noise is reported to be the second main cause of adult deafness in Australia and regular monitoring is an obvious prevention strategy," Mr Kierath said.

"This has not been easy in the past.

"Legislation enabling compensation claims for work-related, noise-induced hearing loss was passed only three years ago.

"Since then, WorkCover has been committed to ensuring an effective testing system based on Australian Standards and in the process has accredited about 500 testers.

"There have been difficulties peculiar to certain industries.

"In mining, for instance, there are many remote minesites and a considerable staff turnover.

"This has not made screening easy."

The Minister said the Workers' Registration Card would enable employers to check the hearing status of existing and new employees.

This was in line with the 1991 Noise Induced Hearing Loss legislation.

An immediate benefit of the card system would be to provide testers with details of past tests and to avoid unnecessary duplication.

Employers would also quickly identify the needs of their workers.

It was expected 25,000 cards would be issued in the next year.

"It is appropriate that the first of the cards is issued at Alcoa because the company and the mining industry in general have been pro-active in this area," Mr Kierath said.

"Mining has conducted more audiometric tests for the purpose of the legislation than any other industry in this particular field of occupational health."

Media contact:  Brian Coulter 222 9595 / 481 2133