Because of their expense and to maintain the reliability of test results, it is imperative that screeners handle audiometers and earphones with care. 

Audiometer Dos and Don’ts: 

• Do handle the earphones carefully. 

• Do protect the audiometer from extremes in temperature and humidity. 

• Do keep it clean; dust and industrial air pollutants may rapidly affect the calibration and operation of the equipment. 

• Do store it with a protective cover, off the floor. 

• Do keep earphones and cord(s) in their storage compartments. 

• Do allow at least one additional hour of warm-up prior to screening—for stabilization of all internal audiometer components—if transported or stored at temperatures below 40 °F for more than four hours. 

• Do not turn the audiometer off after each screen. To prolong its life, keep it powered on until the final screen of the day.

 EARPHONES 

As the most delicate part of the audiometer, earphones may lose proper calibration if mishandled or misused. Earphones transmit test tones to each ear individually using standardized color codes: red to the right ear and blue to the left. An easy way to remember the color codes is by using the mnemonic device ‟red is always right.” 

IMPORTANT: Earphones must be calibrated to one specific audiometer and should always be considered an integral part of that particular instrument. If, for any reason, earphones are damaged, do not interchange them with earphones from another audiometer. Interchanging them will affect the screening accuracy.

Earphone Dos and Don’ts: 

• Do not separate the earphones from the audiometer. As they are calibrated to one specific audiometer, they should be considered an integral part of that particular instrument. Changes in calibration will affect the accuracy of the screening. 

• Do use binaural earphones (earphones that transmit sound through both the right and left earphones) for screening children. 

• Do not use noise-suppressing earphones (circumaural) for screening children because they are not appropriately sized for them. 

• Do protect the center portion, or diaphragm, through which sound transmits. 

• Do carefully examine the earphone cushions for separation between the two glued surfaces before each use. 

• Do check to ensure the headband has sufficient tension to hold the earphones snugly to the head and to maintain the height adjustment of the sliding rods. 

• Do pack earphone cords loosely in the storage compartment. Use a separating pad if earphones must be packed cushion-to-cushion. 

• Do periodically disconnect plugs from earphone jacks and reconnect several times to break corrosion-type film.