September 2022

Ear Article Protection
EFFECTIVE PROTECTION AGAINST
HEARING LOSS
The experts at Hellberg Safety, part of the Hultafors Group UK, discuss the key
considerations regarding ear protection on site, and as they point out, the options vary
and it’s required at lower levels of noise exposure than you might think...
Noise is a major and continual problem
both for our health and the environment.
Noise pollution is with us all day, every
day and, while more recent legislation has been
enacted to regulate its effect on our environment,
Health and Safety at Work regulations have been
in place for some years to ensure safety and
wellbeing in the workplace.
Noise-induced hearing loss is one of the most
commonly reported physical diseases in the world
– particularly in the workplace. It’s an
accumulated disease that increases at every time
of over-exposure to noise, and the bad news is
that hearing loss could be permanent.
The good news is that it is easy to avoid! But it’s
crucial that employers and employees understand
when and how protection from noise hazards can
be provided and implemented.
By law, employers have to assess and identify
measures to eliminate or reduce risks from
exposure to noise so that the hearing faculties of
employees can be protected. In low-risk
environments preventative actions can be
relatively simple and inexpensive.
Where risks are high however, they have to be
assessed and managed using control actions that
include the provision of appropriate hearing
protection equipment as well as information,
training and health surveillance for employees.
Above and below: common noise sources and the three
protection levels.
Employers are required to provide employees with
properly maintained hearing protectors, ensure
they use them properly and establish hearing
protection zones where the use of hearing
protection is compulsory.
At Hellberg Safety, we recommend always
reducing noise levels to a maximum of 75 dB
simply because maintaining dB levels can be
affected by a number of external factors.
If you are unsure of what the local noise level is,
a useful rule of thumb is that if you need to raise
your voice to be heard when you’re about three
feet or so from someone else, the ambient noise
level around you could be a risk to health.
Whatever a manufacturer’s product specification
or protection level may be, the attenuation of
noise provided by a pair of hearing protectors can
decrease due to insufficient fitting, misuse and
poor maintenance. Long hair, beards and glasses
can affect the fit of the protector. Hence, the
greater the effective noise abatement, the more
your hearing is protected.
It is important to remember though, that too
much attenuation can be dangerous too, for
example if it stops you from hearing warning
signals. That’s why it is really important to
choose the correct hearing protection based on
your needs and assessed risk levels.
Assess risk and protection together
Risk assessments for noise hazards can be
obtained through a professional service – and
they are important in ensuring proper health and
safety responsibility – but it is a relatively
straightforward process to identify the level of a
Continued on page 62
60 TC SEPTEMBER 2022