Hearing protection at work: 5 tips from PPE experts
Did you know that hearing loss is the world's leading sensory impairment and the third most common chronic illness?
Hearing plays a vital role in communication in both work and private life. In addition to health risks, minor hearing impairment can also have a negative effect on speech, language comprehension and interpersonal relationships. Prolonged exposure to noise without hearing protection can lead to irreversible damage to health.
Avoid this risk, especially in a noisy working environment, by choosing the right protective equipment. Get advice from our PPE experts.
What is noise and why you should protect yourself
Noise is any sound that can have harmful effects on a person's health. Noise is measured in decibels (dB).
- 75 db is the maximum permissible noise level when hearing protection is not yet required by law.
- 80 dB is the noise level when the employer is already obliged to provide hearing protection, but use is not mandatory.
- At 85 dB and higher noise levels, the use of hearing protection is already mandatory, which means that the employer must not only provide protective equipment but also control its use.
Noise risks:
- At 85 dB, hearing is at risk after 8 hours
- At 100 dB, hearing is compromised after 15 minutes
- At 115 dB, damage can occur within 1 minute
- At 140 dB, immediate hearing damage and pain may occur
In general, the noisier the environment in which a person is, the shorter he should be in it without hearing protection. You can prevent noise-induced hearing damage. Use the right type of hearing protection with the right attenuation and follow workplace safety regulations.
How can you protect yourself against noise?
The most important function of hearing protection is to create a barrier between the source of noise and the hearing organ. Depending on the noise level you want to protect against, you can choose either earplugs or ear muffs.
Earplugs are suitable for low to medium noise environments. The benefit of earplugs is their compact size, variety of materials and shapes. It is also important that the earplug is properly inserted into the ear canal.
Ear Muffs, also called work headphones, are suitable for very noisy environments and provide virtually complete protection against noise. They cover the whole ear, not just the ear hole, they can be used repeatedly and are easier to put on than applying earplugs. Some ear muffs also have the option of connecting to communication systems, so in addition to hearing protection, they also allow you to communicate with colleagues.
Which product protects you the best in your workplace?
Several factors influence the choice of appropriate hearing protection:
1. Attenuation value
Attenuation is a reduction in noise due to wearing hearing protection. The attenuation value is a unit of measure used to determine the effectiveness of PPE in hearing protection to reduce noise exposure in a given environment. The higher the attenuation value, the more suitable the protectors are in a noisier environment.
TIP: Do you know how to calculate the attenuation value of hearing protectors for your workplace?
- Measure the maximum noise level in your workplace
- Subtract the maximum permissible value of 75 dB from this value - e.g. if you measured 100 dB, subtract 75 db from this number
- The resulting number is the required attenuation value of 25 dB for your workplace.
On our website, we have the attenuation value stated directly in the product description.
2. Workplace noise level
Workplace noise is an important factor in choosing the type of hearing protection.
Earplugs are the most common choice for hearing protection. They are suitable for light and medium noisy environments. They are suitable e.g. for work in the food industry, in pharmaceutical production and the like.
Ear muffs, often referred to as work headphones, provide excellent hearing protection in extremely noisy environments, such as factories, cutting wood or shooting.
Wherever it is necessary to ensure the permanent availability of hearing protection in the workplace, it is a good solution to use earplug dispensers. They provide hygienic dosing and can be placed on the wall or on a shelf at all entrances to the workplace. At the same time, they save the employer costs.
3. Comfort
Hearing protectors must fit you perfectly and meet the requirements of your workplace.
Bad-fitting hearing protection, which pushes you, gives you a headache or ears, is definitely not suitable. The pain will force you to take off your work or remove your earplugs and put them on again, which can result in noise exposure and even damage to your hearing. Therefore, when choosing comfortable protective equipment, keep in mind whether you only need hearing protection for a short time or for all-day wear.
4. Compatibility
If you use other protective equipment at work, such as safety helmets, we recommend a more comprehensive solution that will make it easier for you and your employees to work with protective equipment.
5. The price
Good hearing protection may seem like an excessive expense, but we definitely recommend not saving on hearing protectors.
In our portfolio you will find hearing protection devices in various price ranges - from earplugs for a few cents to hearing protectors for the most demanding.
Prevention is the best protection
Hearing protection is not worth underestimating. Damage caused by insufficient hearing protection may not be obvious immediately. Noisy environment may slowly steal away your health over several years. The consequences of noise exposure are in most cases irreversible and therefore apply our motto: prevention is the best protection.
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