Updating Accident Compensation Hearing Assessment Regulations

About the Accident Compensation Hearing Assessment Regulations

The Accident Insurance (Occupational Hearing Assessment Procedures) Regulations 1999 (the Hearing Assessment Regulations) describe the procedures that claimants must undergo for a gradual process hearing test.

MBIE has completed work on determining whether the Hearing Assessment Regulations require updating, to match new scientific evidence. This included considering the age scale contained in Schedule 2 of the Hearing Assessment Regulations. The age scale attributes a proportion of hearing loss to ageing which is taken off from a claimants total assessed hearing loss to determine the injury related portion.

The current age scale for hearing loss is based on the 1988 National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL) report table, which is in turn based on the ISO 7029:1984 standard. A new international standard has since been developed (ISO 7029:2017). In the proposals, MBIE recommended the age scale be updated based on the new standard.

Objectives for assessing the proposal

The policy objectives for assessing the proposed options were:

• entitlements are targeted at work-related hearing loss
• based on up-to-date scientific research
• consistent outcomes for claimants
• ease of implementation
• financial impact.

Consultation

We sought your feedback on the proposed changes and the options you thought would best meet the objectives. You can read more about this in the consultation document below.

We consulted on 2 primary options. Option 1 proposed no change to the age scale (the status quo). Option 2 proposed updating the age scale based on ISO 7029:2017.

We also consulted on 2 other minor technical amendments to the Hearing Assessment Regulations:

• Remove reference to tests conducted by otolaryngologists.
• Update the reference to ISO 8253.1-2010 from AS ISO 8253.1-2009.

We wanted to hear from providers, individuals and businesses impacted by the changes, and any other interested parties, on proposed changes to updating the Hearing Assessment Regulations. The feedback you provided to us during this consultation will help us develop advice for Ministers on what changes should be made to the Hearing Assessment Regulations.

Submissions

Thank you for telling us about your preferred options and the impact of the proposed changes on the hearing assessment process. Below are the 4 submissions we received during the consultation period. 

Other documents

Below is the consultation document to read and the submission template that was provided for you to share your views with us. Feedback could also be given without using the template.