On the Occasion of World Environment Day 2026, the Center for Public Health and Environmental Development (CEPHED), Kathmandu, Nepal, has successfully organized a day-long Orientation and free Audiometry test among workers engaged in the metal sculpture-making process in Lalitpur Metropolitan City of the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal.

Four separate orientation and noise-induced hearing loss Audiometry tests have been conducted in the last two months, and the last event was held on June 7th on the occasion of World Environment Day 2026, with the theme “A Global Call for Climate Action.” Linking with the themes of World Environment Day 2026, a local issues-based slogan “PROTECT WORKERS FROM NOISE AND HEAT STRESS” has been developed and highlighted during this occasion.

About 200 Metal Sculptural Workers from Lalitpur Metropolitan City, especially from wards No. 6, 11, and 17, and Members associated with the organization called SCOPE have benefited from the orientation and audiometry test.

Mr. Ram Charitra Sah, Executive Director and Environment Scientist, oriented the participants about World Environment Day, climate change, heat and noise stress, noise pollution, and audiometry tests, whereas Mr. Madhab Raj Bista, a well-known OSH Expert, and Dr. Anuka Shakya from Kathmandu Medical College and Teaching Hospital helped with taking the audiometry test in four series of events. Ms. Lauren Jennsen, an intern to CEPHED from the University of California, Berkeley, USA, Environmental Health Science Master’s Degree program with an emphasis in Industrial Hygiene, and Ms. Pratishtha Dhaubanjara from CEPHED assisted with the organization of the program to support audiometry testing and noise level monitoring at the metal sculptural-making workshop.

Programs have been organized in the area by CEPHED in coordination with the Federation of Handicraft Association of Nepal (FHAN) and jointly organized with Lalitpur Metropolitan City, Ward Nos. 6, 11, and 17, as well as with the SCOPE organisation.

CEPHED highly acknowledges the technical and financial support from DWOI, ANROEV, and OSHE Foundation International for conducting this orientation, noise level monitoring, and audiometry test, as well as linking with the World Environment Day 2026 celebration in Nepal.

The final report will be prepared and disseminated through organizing a multistakeholder workshop with the hopes of informing government action on this issue across agencies for the betterment and improvement of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) condition in Nepal, as well as improving the compliance status of the Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of Noise at workplace 2017, gazetted by the Government of Nepal.