Why it’s important for your employees to have 24-hour comprehensive cover:

One of the key concerns for any business is the wellbeing of their employees – not only will employees be more motivated and willing to work hard, they can feel a sense of pride in their employer if they are satisfied with the coverage they receive.

As an employer, we understand the need for you to ensure that you and your employees are not financially incapacitated when faced with a serious injury or illness, which is why you already offer your employees Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases (COID) benefits.

However, COID offers limited compensation that exposes your employees to potential shortfalls that may compromise their standard of living with a life-changing event and even leave you exposed.

As leaders in the administration of occupational injuries and diseases, we know that your employees are your biggest investment - that’s why it’s important that you look after their personal interests, helping them protect their financial future and the future of their dependants.

We can help you become just that with our wide-ranging, comprehensive, relevant and cost-effective value-added insurance products to help reduce gaps in cover.

Enhance your employees’ cover through these unique and tailored offerings:

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What is NIHL and what causes it?

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) is permanent hearing loss caused by prolonged exposure to high levels of noise and damage to the inner ear. NIHL can be immediate because of exposure to an intense sound such as an explosion or it can take a long time to be noticeable. It can affect one or both ears.

Sound is measured in units called decibels. Sounds of less than 75 decibels, even after long exposure, are less likely to cause hearing loss. However, long or repeated exposure to sounds at or above 85 decibels can cause hearing loss. The louder the sound, the faster NIHL occurs.

The intensity of the sound, frequency, duration and years of exposure are important in determining the effects of the sound on your ears. A good rule of thumb is to avoid noises that are too loud, too close, or last too long – particularly for sounds at 85 decibels and above.

What you need to prove NIHL for an employee: 
• Baseline audiogram (Initial screening audiogram) – indicating the level of hearing when the employee first started working in a noise zone by means of the initial screening audiogram which could have been performed at a previous employer or when they started working 
• A diagnostic audiogram showing the degree and type of hearing loss; 
• Evidence indicating that the employee is exposed to excessive noise, over 85 decibels and for more than 8 hours a day or 40 hours a week; 
• Evidence showing that the type of hearing loss is due to noise exposure and not the various other causes of hearing loss as confirmed in a medical report.

What you need to submit for a NIHL claim:

• Two diagnostic audiograms conducted on the same day with a reasonable break between the two audiograms. These should only be conducted after 24 hours of the employee having been removed from the noisy environment; 
• The baseline audiogram;
• A certified copy of an ID document or passport;
• Attestation document -Certified proof of identity completed by the Audiologist or ENT specialist; 
• A full record of service, documenting the noise level exposure for each of the employee’s occupations or positions during his/her working career – if the employee has not been exposed to noise, this should also be recorded as such; 
• Medical report compiled by the Occupational Health Practitioner – this is the doctor responsible for the occupational health examinations of the company’s employees; and 
• If the percentage hearing loss is greater than 30%, the employee is to be seen by an ENT (ear/nose/ throat) specialist. The ENT specialist is to include in the first medical report the full medical history of the employee, such as treatment with ototoxic drugs, ear surgery and otitis media.

If your operation is a noisy environment, all appropriate measures to protect employees’ hearing should be taken. This includes employees wearing hearing protective devices (HPDs) when exposed to noise and taking the necessary precautions to reduce the sound at source (such as putting machines in a muffling housing, for example). Other methods of protecting employees include rotating employees to ensure that they spend less time exposed to the noise, and testing their hearing every six months to understand the level of damage to their ears.

Your employees working in a loud noise environment should always have an audiogram at the start of their employment, so that you understand how good his or her hearing is before exposure.

On 4 May we visited Mabake Secondary School in Moutse West, Limpopo, where we sponsored the Moutse West Career Expo. The career expo aimed to provide career guidance and advice to learners from several high schools in surrounding areas. RMA employees who attended the event gave career tips and guidance to about 1500 learners in grade 11 and 12 by sharing their own personal career journeys to motivate and inform the learners about the various career paths available to them, and answering their questions. As part of the activities, we also donated school shoes and uniforms to young learners from the Makalakanyane Primary School as a gesture of our dedication and passion of early childhood development and education.

On 11 May the first intake of learners from our recently launched skills development programme graduated. The skills training takes place at the Rand Mutual Care Facility in Welkom, Free State. The first intake of 20 learners completed the six-week NQF level 2 IT skills programme.

The skills programme is dedicated to the upliftment, reskilling and education of our pensioners, their families and the community at large. This speaks to our commitment towards holistic rehabilitation that addresses the psycho-social aspects of recovery. A large part of this process is overcoming the effects that sudden disability can have on self-perception.

Our Medical General Manager, Dr Deodat Kritzinger opened the graduation ceremony by giving background on how the skills development programme was established. He went further to note that the programme is an initiative to close the skills gap by giving skills to injured workers who can’t return to their previous work places due to injuries. But it doesn’t end there – it is also open to their families, and the families of employees who have died from their work-related injuries, as well as to the community at large.

Both events received positive feedback from the involved learners and we understand that two learners from the IT skills development programme have already secured employment.

To keep up with the demand of quick turnaround times and almost instant feedback, we have an online portal that allows you to perform your transactions at your convenience. On this portal you can submit claims, medical reports and forms, LOGS verifications and much more.

Moreover, as part of our online services you can request for training on any of our services at a click of few buttons. The training will help you understand our products, processes and provide a thorough break down of our online services.

Learn more about our training services or request training here.