A QCTO-aligned Occupational Skills Program: Occupational Audiometric Screener is under development at HWSETA in response to NIHL regulations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The Department of Employment and Labour requires such a program to be registered. Draft curriculum available for download.
QCTO Skills Program: Occupational Audiometric Screener in Development.
A group of OHS stakeholders is involved in developing the program, including hearing conservation specialists, training providers, and regulatory experts. Lime Green is providing non-subject matter related administrative support, funded by Education for Health Africa.
Download QCTO-registered Occupational Skills Program titled Occupational Audiometric Screener here.
A QCTO-registered Occupational Skills Program titled Occupational Audiometric Screener is currently in development through the Health and Welfare SETA (HWSETA). This development comes in response to the Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHS Act) and its Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) regulations, which require the proper training and registration of individuals conducting workplace hearing screenings.
The Department of Employment and Labour has been made aware of the need for a nationally recognised skills program for audiometric screeners, aligned with QCTO (Quality Council for Trades and Occupations) standards. This program aims to ensure that screening is done by individuals who meet formal occupational health and safety training requirements, supporting compliance across a wide range of industries.
As part of this process, HWSETA has requested formal feedback from the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). It is important to note that this is not a request for HPCSA endorsement or quality assurance, but rather to ensure the Council has no objections or reasons not to support the program’s registration at QCTO.
This is a critical step toward formalising audiometric screening as a regulated skill within the broader occupational health and safety framework. Updates will be posted as the program progresses toward registration. Thank you Education for Health Africa for taking this initiative and promoting awareness of the need for this program to exist.
Read about the results of the same process for vision screener, and how that went here.
