Hearing Protector Use & Care

Personal protective equipment should be selected and maintained in accordance Work Health and Safety Legislation in Australia, the Safe Work Australia Code Of Practice: Managing Noise and Preventing Hearing Loss at Work, and AS/NZS 1269.3 Occupational Noise Management - Hearing Protector Program, with attenuation values derived from attenuation measurements made in accordance with AS/NZS 1270 Acoustics – Hearing protectors.

When selecting HPDs, duty holders will need to consider area noise levels, worker noise exposures, communication needs, comfort, fit, hearing ability, personal preference, and interaction with other safety equipment. Suitability for the type of working environment and work task must also be considered.

Workers should be involved in the selection process, offered a reasonable choice of personal hearing protector types, and wear HPDs in accordance with information, training and instruction provided to them.

Noise levels under HPDs should be reduced to below 85 dB (A), and HPDs chosen should not overprotect workers as this may cause difficulties hearing verbal instructions and other sounds needed to work safely by cutting out too much sound. To avoid this, it is recommended that noise levels under HPDs be between 70 dB (A) to 80 dB (A).

In accordance with AS/NZS 1269.3 Occupational Noise Management - Hearing Protector Program, HPD assessment of ‘in-ear’ noise reduction levels for an 8-hour shift (i.e. LAeq,8h) less than 110 dB (A), should be conducted using the classification method. If the LAeq,8h is greater than 110 dB (A), and if noise exhibits complexities, than octave-band analysis should be applied. No standard HPD methods of assessment for impulse noise levels exceeding 140 dB (C) are currently available, but the following rules should be used for the selection of HPD in this circumstance: for impulse noise from impacts, small caliber weapons or tools, use Class 5 HPD; for impulse noise from large-caliber weapons and blasting, use well fitted earplugs of at least Class 3 in combination with Earmuffs of any Class.

Dual Protection
Wearing earmuffs together with earplugs provides between 5-10 dB more noise reduction than either device worn by itself. Research quoted by Berger (1984) LINK concluded that the extra protection provided varies depending on the frequency of the sound.

3M strongly recommends fit testing of hearing protectors as the best method to validate that each worker is obtaining the proper level of protection from specific HPD. It also provides for effective one-on-on training with workers in correct fitting procedures and assists in identifying trends and problem areas to help drive improvement.