Events

FREE for ALL (please log in on the SOM website first). 

SPONSORED BY ORCHID LIVE

Summary 

A panel discussion with experienced Occupational Health clinicians, passionate about delivering robust and effective management referral advice. Our panel will discuss the key elements of a good referral, effective assessment and usable report, providing insight into the standards required. Coming from differing angles i.e. physio, nurse and physician, the discussion will cover a range of perspectives. Attendees will be able to join in the discussion with questions and insights. 

Suitable for those referring and those undertaking or considering undertaking management referrals/OH case management.

We will be fortunate to obtain the expertise from Amanda Dowson, SCPHN-OH nurse and lead of the clinical standards for management referrals working group, Dr Kevin Bailey FFOM, contributor to the working group: Stephanie Foster, OH nurse specialist and management referral educator and Tracey Atkinson, clinical governance lead physiotherapist in OH and member of the working group. The session will be chaired by Janet O’Neill, Deputy Head NSOH and fellow contributor to the working group.

Attendees can expect a thought provoking session which will provide them with the ability to reflect on what makes a good report. 
 

BIOs: tbc

FREE for ALL. You will then be sent the joining link.

The 24th Asian Congress on Occupational Health (ACOH) will be held on the 5th - 8th August 2026 at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) in Sarawak, Malaysia.

With the theme ”Shaping a Sustainable Future: Global Perspectives on Occupational Health",  this triennial congress promises insightful discussions, knowledge sharing, and collaboration opportunities aimed at advancing the field of Occupational Health in the region.

The congress will comprise keynote sessions, plenaries, symposiums, poster and oral presentations with invited speakers from all over the globe.

The event is expected to draw more than 1,200 international and local participants comprising practitioners in Occupational Health, Occupational Medicine, Industrial Hygiene, Environmental Health, Occupational Safety and related fields.

Participants to the 24th ACOH will also have the opportunity to experience the majestic natural beauty of the lush, biodiverse rainforest, home to unique flora and fauna such as the orangutan, proboscis monkey and Rafflesia - the largest flower in the world.

For more details and to register your interest, visit the event's official website at www.aaoeh.org.

£490 for SOM Members (please log in on the SOM website first). Non-members £590. There is a maximum of 20 places.

2-Day Surveillance Audiometry Course
(Compliance with The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005)

Date and Time: 9.30am - 5.00pm, Thursday 29th - Friday 30th October 2026

Venue: St Pancras & Somers Town Living Centre, 2 Ossulston St, London NW1 1DF (maps)

Please note that this is an in-person event only. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Trainer - Melanie Brewster, Clinical Physiologist (Audiology)

This two-day face-to-face training course is practical and includes extensive ‘hands-on' experience of audiometry, ear examination and appropriate analysis of audiograms, under the direct supervision of a qualified, experienced tutor, in line with CNWR2005. Suitable for OH physicians, nurses, technicians and other clinicians.

This course follows the guidelines as stated by BSA and training candidates will acquire knowledge and skills in the following areas:
a. Communication needs of hearing impaired people 
b. Anatomy and physiology of the outer, middle and inner ear, with particular reference to the effects of excessive sound on these structures 
c. Hygiene and disinfection, and risks of cross-infection 
d. Safe technique for ear examination 
e. Identification of the structures of the outer ear and eardrum 
f. Contraindications to audiometry 
g. Manual and automated audiometry 
h. Referral criteria and process
i. Basic hearing protection in noise 
j. The need for third-party insurance 

Additionally, the course adds relevant training specific to the requirements of CNWR 2005 (L108):
1. Normal audiograms for age
2. Audiogram characteristics of noise-induced hearing loss
3. Severity of NIHL relative to exposure
4. Audiogram characteristics of non-noise-induced hearing loss
5. Impulse noise hearing loss (acoustic shock)
6. Role of the OHP
7. Role of the competent adviser
8. SOM guidance

Candidates are required to bring the audiometers they use day-to-day to the training course, plus an otoscope.

CPD points accredited by the Faculty of Occupational Medicine (FOM) and SOM Certificate of Attendance.

Delegate fee - £490 SOM member; £590 non SOM member

Duration 13 hours

Trainer: Melanie Brewster, Clinical Physiologist (Audiology) RCCP 1529, Dip Safety Management, Cert OH Law

Melanie Brewster is an NHS-trained Clinical Physiologist specialising in audiology. Alongside private and medico-legal practice she provided the assessment service for the claimants from the NCB and war pension directorate in the early 1990s and branched out into occupational health in 1996 setting up her own Occupational Health company which specialises in noise. Melanie was instrumental in the 2021 changes in CNWR 2005 guidance and still works in the NHS part-time as an external consultant.  

Melanie is an advocate for the correct identification of noise-induced hearing loss and has over 35 years of experience in interpreting audiograms in the industry. She provides specialist Occupational Health risk assessment and reports for employees identified as having hearing loss including advising on the compatibility of hearing aids and hearing protection and the management of safety-critical workers with hearing loss.

Melanie has been a trainer for many years alongside advising major insurance companies on NIHL claims, validating medico-legal audiograms and several papers published in her subject.

(SOM members please log in on the SOM website to get the discount).