There is no doubt that loud noise at work can damage your hearing, especially if you are exposed to loud noises over a prolonged period. Loud noises are commonplace in many industries, particularly construction, demolition, road maintenance and engineering to name a few. If you find yourself in a noisy environment daily and you don’t regularly wear ear protection, you are at risk of developing tinnitus or even losing your hearing.

Noise Exposure Levels

According to the Health & Safety Executive;

“The level at which employers must provide hearing protection and hearing protection zones is now 85 decibels (daily or weekly average exposure) and the level at which employers must assess the risk to workers' health and provide them with information and training is now 80 decibels.”

Source: https://www.hse.gov.uk/noise/regulations.htm

To put this into perspective, a normal conversation is measured at around 60 dB, while an electric drill reaches 95 dB and heavy machinery can be as loud as 120dB. These numbers can vary, but provide you with a guideline of what level of sound is unsafe for your ears, particularly over a prolonged period.

How do you know if you or your workers are exposed to too much noise?

Some indications that your workers may be subject to too much noise are;

• They have to raise their voices/or shout to be heard over the noise
• They use loud machinery for more than half an hour a day
• They are subject to impact noises daily, i.e. pneumatic tools, hammering
• The noise in your working environment is intrusive and noticeable throughout the day

What can you do?

While there are some precautions and measures you can take to reduce the risk, ultimately some noise in certain work environments cannot be reduced and this is where suitable ear protection comes in. It is important that ear protection is worn correctly and that the correct protection is selected based on the work they do, and noise levels they are subject to.

SNR

When buying ear protection you will see the SNR system (single number rating); this number should be subtracted from the dB number to work out the protection you will have while wearing your earplugs or ear defenders.

1. JSP Big Blue Ear Defenders

Features:

• Soft, wide foam cushioning
• Suitable for medium duty industrial work
• Ideal for long shifts
• SNR = 27 (over the head)

2. JSP Contour Helmet Mounted Ear Defenders

Features:

• Available in black
• Helmet mounted Ear Defenders
• Compatible with the JSP EV02 and EV03 safety helmets.
• SNR = 26

3. B-Brand Ear Defenders

Features:

• Economy Ear Defender
• Lightweight robust design
• Adjustable headband
• Conforms to EN352-1:2002
• SNR = 27.6

4. B-Brand Ear Plug Dispenser 

Features:

• Contains 500 pairs of high-vis foam disposable ear plugs
• Can be free standing or wall mounted
• Robust design
• Easy twist action dispenser
• Found to be in conformity with council directive 89/686/EEC relating to PPE.
• Conforms to EN352-2:2002
• SNR = 34

5. B-Brand Ear Plugs

Features:

• Foam disposable ear plugs (box of 200)
• Comes in a dispenser box for easy access
• Comfortable for long usage
• Conform to EN352-2:2002
• SNR = 34

6. B-Brand Premium Ear Defender

Features:

• Premium foldable ear defender
• Extremely comfortable with extra large foam pads
• Padded adjustable headband allows easy fitting
• Good attenuation performance
• Conforms to EN352-1:2002
• SNR = 33

To explore more ear protection, check out our full website here.

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Thanks for reading!