Overview
EN ISO 8253-1:2010 - "Acoustics - Audiometric test methods - Part 1: Pure‑tone air and bone conduction audiometry" (CEN adoption of ISO 8253-1:2010) defines standardized procedures and requirements for measuring hearing thresholds using pure‑tone air‑ and bone‑conduction audiometry. It covers manual, automatic recording and computer‑controlled audiometers, equipment checks, test environment requirements and basic calibration guidance. The standard is intended for threshold (near‑threshold) testing and screening; it does not cover supra‑threshold testing, speech audiometry, electrophysiological methods or sound‑field loudspeaker procedures.
Key topics and requirements
- Test methods: Procedures for pure‑tone air conduction and bone conduction threshold determination, including fixed‑frequency and sweep‑frequency approaches. For screening, only pure‑tone air conduction methods are specified.
- Types of audiometers: Guidance for manual audiometers, automatic recording audiometers and computer‑controlled systems.
- Transducer use & placement: Requirements for earphones and bone vibrators, correct placement and considerations such as occlusion and airborne radiation from bone vibrators.
- Masking & vibrotactile effects: Procedures for masking during bone conduction testing and notes on vibrotactile sensations that may affect thresholds.
- Ambient noise: Maximum permissible ambient noise levels and psychoacoustic checks to ensure reliable threshold measurements down to reference levels.
- Equipment calibration & maintenance: Stage‑based checking and calibration scheme (routine subjective checks, periodic objective checks, and basic calibration tests) and reference to calibration zeros.
- Tester competence & preparation: Requirements for a qualified tester, subject instruction, test time and measurement uncertainty considerations.
- Scope limits: Not applicable to very young children without modification; does not specify speech audiometry, electrophysiology or loudspeaker sound‑field methods.
Applications and users
EN ISO 8253-1:2010 is used by:
- Audiologists and ENT clinics for standardized pure‑tone threshold testing and screening.
- Occupational health and hearing conservation programs for workplace hearing screening and baseline audiograms.
- Manufacturers and test equipment suppliers to design and validate audiometers and transducers against accepted procedures.
- Calibration laboratories and clinical engineers implementing the staged maintenance and calibration regime.
- Standards bodies and regulatory agencies referencing harmonized methods for certification, procurement and clinical protocols.
Related standards
Keywords: EN ISO 8253-1:2010, audiometry, pure‑tone audiometry, air conduction, bone conduction, audiometric test methods, calibration, ambient noise, audiometric equipment.
