Are Earmuffs Truly Effective for Loud Industrial Environments?
Earmuff hearing protectors often have a higher Noise Reduction Rating than many in-ear hearing protection devices. However, does this higher rating directly equal a higher level of protection?
Like all hearing protection, it’s important to think beyond the NRR when evaluating the effectiveness of a hearing protector. Employees should be able to insert them easily, and shouldn’t need to remove them for communication or comfort issues.
Guide: choosing effective hearing protection
Earmuffs have potential to be effective, but often are not
With a common Noise Reduction Rating of over 30 decibels, earmuffs have a lot of potential when it comes to protecting the hearing of your employees. However, they are often used inconsistently or not maintained properly, leading to reduce noise protection.
Fit testing: track the effectiveness of your hearing protection
Maintaining a proper seal can be challenging
Since earmuffs do not seal into the wearer’s ear, they rely on a firm exterior seal. Many things can interfere with this seal, including safety glasses (or any other kind of glasses), hairstyles, and hats. This significantly reduces the attenuation of the earmuffs, resulting in potentially damaging exposure levels.
Extended use periods can cause comfort issues
Earmuffs also must compress the user’s head to maintain the seal. While this can work for shorter periods of time, over a full shift it often becomes highly inconvenient. Heat can also create a comfort issue, specially when the muffs are worn with a hard hat.
Best earmuff alternatives for factory workers: custom hearing protection
While earmuffs can be effective in extreme environments where double hearing protection is required any way, insert hearing protectors are more likely to be used correctly & consistently.
Custom hearing protection provides the most comfortable option for factory & industrial employees. Molded to the shape of the user’s ear, they are easy to insert & comfortable to wear for the entire time an employee is in noise – one of the determining factors that makes a hearing protector effective.
Learn more about Anadyne’s custom hearing protection options
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