ATCO.MED.B.080 Otorhinolaryngology

• Regulation (EU) 2015/340 found in: Air Traffic Controllers Licensing and Certification (2015/340) Part-ATCO (Jun 2024)

ATCO.MED.B.080  Otorhinolaryngology Regulation (EU) 2015/340 (a)       Examination: (1)       A routine otorhinolaryngological examination shall form part of all initial, revalidation and renewal examinations. (2)       Hearing shall be tested at all examinations. The applicant shall understand correctly conversational speech when tested with each ear at a distance of 2 metres from and with his/her back turned towards the AME. (3)       Hearing shall be tested with pure tone audiometry at the initial examination and at subsequent revalidation or renewal examinations every 4 years until the age of 40 and every 2 years thereafter. (4)       Pure-tone audiometry: (i)        Applicants for a class 3 medical certificate shall not have a hearing loss of more than 35 dB at any of the frequencies 500, 1000 or 2000 Hz, or more than 50 dB at 3000 Hz, in either ear separately. (ii)       Applicants who do not meet the hearing criteria above shall be referred to the licensing authority and undergo a specialist assessment before a fit assessment may be considered. Initial applicants shall undergo a speech discrimination test. Applicants for a revalidation or renewal of a class 3 medical certificate shall undergo a functional hearing test in the operational environment. (5)       Hearing aids: (i)        Initial examination: the need of hearing aids to comply with the hearing requirements entails unfitness. (ii)       Revalidation and renewal examinations: a fit assessment may be considered if the use of hearing aid(s) or of an appropriate prosthetic aid improves the hearing to achieve a normal standard as assessed by fully functional testing in the operational environment. (iii)      If a prosthetic aid is needed to achieve the normal hearing standard, a spare set of the equipment and accessories, such as batteries, shall be available when exercising the privileges of the licence. (b)       Applicants with: (1)       an active chronic pathological process of the internal or middle ear; (2)       unhealed perforation or dysfunction of the tympanic membrane(s); (3)       disturbance of vestibular function; (4)       significant malformation or significant chronic infection of the oral cavity or upper respiratory tract; (5)       significant disorder of speech or voice reducing intelligibility; shall be referred to the licensing authority and undergo further ORL examination and assessment to establish that the condition does not interfere with the safe exercise of the privileges of the licence.