Industrial Hearing Protection & the Food Industry

Understandably, food manufacturers have strict protocols when it comes to food safety. From gloves to hairnets, regulations on what must be worn versus what shouldn’t be worn during shifts help protect consumers, reduce recalls, and avoid public relations issues. Personal protective equipment is often required to ensure food is safe for consumers – but what about when PPE is required to protect employees?

In the food manufacturing industry, it’s not uncommon for employees to be exposed to noise levels over the 85 dB(A) OSHA Action Level. Employees should wear hearing protection while exposed to these loud levels of noise.



However, most types of hearing protection are small and barely noticeable. If the protectors are not fitted correctly, they are likely to end up in the products employees are working on. And if they’re not fully detectable, the risk of them going unobserved is high.

Custom shouldn’t only refer to the shape of your hearing protection. We’re excited to release a new, metal-detectable hearing protection option, to enhance the safety of your employees and the quality of your products.

Learn more about our custom hearing protection options

Your first layer of defense against foreign-object contamination isn’t always your equipment. It can be your employees & colleagues. A hearing protector should be easily visible whether it’s being worn or not.

Our detectable hearing protection follows the common food industry practice of molding objects that should be noticed in a dark blue color. This improves the visibility of the hearing protection to the human eye, increasing protection against foreign-object contamination.

Our custom hearing protection is also metal detectable, with several individual metal pieces to maximize detectability. From the handle to the filters, our hearing protection can be detected by both magnetic and x-ray detection systems. 

There are a wide range of detectable hearing protection options on the market. While the detectability features are an important factor to consider, there are other factors that should be considered as well.



It’s important to be sure your employees will actually wear their detectable hearing protection. If they’re not worn correctly, the protectors are much more likely to find their way into the food product.

When employees find their hearing protectors are uncomfortable, they’ll likely remove them during their shift. Considering that 2 minutes of exposure to noise without hearing protection makes that protection 25% less effective, investing in hearing protection that your employees find comfortable will be well worth it.

The most comfortable hearing protection for your employees

Another major reason for employees removing or even not wearing their hearing protection is when the hearing protection is overprotecting them. When employees remove their hearing protection to communicate with each other, they are at increased risk of standard threshold shifts. 

Learn how our hearing protection options enhance safe communication

Hearing protection likely isn’t the only PPE your employees are required to wear on the job. From face shields to safety glasses, anything that breaks the seal of earmuffs significantly decreases the attenuation of the muffs.

Our custom metal detectable hearing protection can be worn with other PPE without negative effects, while the small mold ensures it can be worn as an effective double protection, as well. 

Anadyne's detectable custom hearing protection options have multiple layers of defense against foreign-product contamination. With a comfortable fit, a visible make, and enhanced detectable options, our custom hearing protection keeps your food safe for consumers while protection your employees hearing.

Click to learn more or give us a call at 888-972-4420!