Safety-Critical Hearing Assessments for Rail & Transport

Trusted occupational audiology for safety-critical roles, delivered with speed, rigour and care.

At The Well Being BY CUBEX, we provide professional Safety-Critical Hearing Risk Assessments and ongoing audiological care for rail and transport organisations across the UK. Our testing is also aligned to the needs of heavy manufacturing and construction industries.

For decades, we have worked alongside several British rail and transport companies to ensure employees in safety-critical roles meet required hearing standards, and are properly supported to communicate clearly and safely on the job. In our clinic, we have a dedicated support centre purely to service clients in this sector. 

Our role is twofold:

  • to help employers meet legal, operational and Duty of Care requirements +

  • to support employees with accurate assessment, clear guidance and appropriate ongoing care where needed.

    We understand that HR, operational and safety decisions depend on these results.

    You can rely on us for fast turnaround, clear reporting and professional, defensible assessments - delivered with care for both the individual and the organisation.

    Our record-keeping can be relied upon to be detailed and accessible - and are always treated as confidential and high priority.

Expert Providers

Safety-Critical Hearing Services for Transport Operators

  • Safety-Critical Audiological Risk Assessments
     Including role-specific testing aligned to transport and rail standards

  • Clear, defensible clinical reports
     Delivered to agreed timelines to support HR, OH and operational decisions

  • Priority appointment access & fast turnaround
     Because delays can affect staffing, compliance and operations

  • Ongoing care and monitoring
     For employees who require support and advice with hearing aids, protection and/or follow-up support

  • Independent assessment of existing hearing systems
     Including recommendations for employees already using hearing devices supplied elsewhere

  • Hearing protection & audiological equipment
     Where clinically appropriate and role-relevant

  • On-site noise assessment (where required)

  • Our approach balances scientific rigour with real-world function, ensuring decisions are fair, accurate and defensible.

Our Clinical Approach

Occupational medical standards exist to ensure employees are fit to perform their roles safely and effectively, based on the real demands of the job. In safety-critical transport roles, hearing is not simply about whether sound is detected. It’s about whether information can be understood, localised and acted upon, often in challenging acoustic environments.

Key functional abilities include:

  • Speech understanding

  • Sound detection and localisation

  • Effective communication in background noise

Relying solely on basic audiograms can be misleading. Individuals with similar hearing thresholds may perform very differently in real-world listening environments, particularly where safety, timing and communication are critical.

Our assessments go beyond minimum thresholds to provide a more accurate, functional understanding of hearing performance, supporting safer and more appropriate employment decisions.

Our Safety-Critical Test Battery

Alongside conventional audiometry, we use advanced, function-focused testing to assess how an individual hears in real working conditions:

  • Thorough ear examination

  • Middle ear function testing

  • Pure tone audiometry (including extended high frequencies)

  • Free-field testing

  • Speech audiometry

  • Speech-in-noise / real-world listening tests

  • Cognitive test battery on demand including Working memory, Executive function, Attention and Perceived stress and anxiety with cognitive training on demand

    These measures allow us to assess listening effort, speech clarity and communication resilience, not just hearing thresholds.

Why These Tests Matter

Extended High-Frequency Audiometry

Noise exposure often affects higher frequencies first. Testing beyond standard ranges allows for earlier detection, better monitoring, and more informed decisions, including where noise exposure or ototoxic medication is involved.

Speech Audiometry

Speech-based testing provides a far more realistic picture of hearing function than tones alone, helping us understand how and where hearing is breaking down, and what support will be effective.

Speech-in-Noise Testing

This reflects the reality of transport environments. It allows us to assess functional hearing performance, guide support decisions, and demonstrate improvement where interventions are introduced.

A Trusted Partner to the Transport Sector

We are known for being thorough, fair and dependable, trusted by employers and respected by employees.

“South West Trains have worked in partnership with Cubex Audiology for years to supply hearing aids to eligible safety-critical employees. We have found them to be professional, customer-focused and reliable, and are happy to continue working with them.”
— Head of Occupational Health, South West Trains

Let’s Talk

If you’re reviewing or refining your occupational hearing and safety-critical assessment process, we would be pleased to discuss your requirements, confidentially and without obligation.

Reliable assessments. Clear reporting. Ongoing care. For safer communication and safer operations.

Contact us.