FEATURED ARTICLE
Hearing augmentation requirements and communicating in a socially distant environment by Bruce Bromley
T
he COVID-19 worldwide pandemic is a devastating and highly contagious disease that is affecting us all, particularly people with disability. The key principles of prioritising public health and safety to protect people against infection, compliance with public health guidelines, working with governments and public health authorities, and changing our behaviours such as social distancing and hygiene measures are being practiced at every opportunity.
BUILDING CODE OF AUSTRALIA The Building Code of Australia provides definitive requirements within part D3.7 Hearing Augmentation for when the public is screened from service providers/ assistants
(a) A hearing augmentation system must be provided where an inbuilt amplification system, other than one used only for emergency warning, is installed—
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(i) in a room in a Class 9b building; or (ii) in an auditorium, conference room, meeting room or room for judicatory purposes; or (iii) at any ticket office, teller’s booth, reception area or the like, where the public is screened from the service provider. The provision of PPE (personal protective equipment) especially masks or face shields in some regions is now strongly recommended or mandatory. Viruses are transmitted between people, usually when a person is exposed to the secretions of an infected person. The current route of transmission of the coronavirus is unclear, but past experience has shown that exposure to the body fluid that an infected person coughs or sprays or shaking hands with an infected person leads to infection.
THE MAGAZINE FOR THE ASSOCIATION OF CONSULTANTS IN ACCESS AUSTRALIA
Australian businesses have also risen to the challenge and are adapting to the new COVIDNORM and it is becoming clear that many of these changes are here to stay. Plexiglass sneeze guards have been around for many years but are now commonplace in a large portion of service-based businesses, but these sneeze guards have brought about a new challenge to communicate with many people on both sides of the screen unable to hear.
