5 Hearing Protection Myths
by Ted Madison
published November 6, 2009 Industrial Safety & Hygiene News
Most hearing conservation programs rely on hearing protection devices (HPDs) to reduce workers’ exposure to hazardous noise and other loud sounds and to prevent noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). Other methods of reducing noise exposure, such as engineering and administrative controls, are used less often due to enforcement policies that allow hearing protectors to be used as a substitute for noise controls and because of concerns about the effectiveness and feasibility of noise controls in the workplace.
Many individuals who understand the importance of hearing protection are still misinformed about both the factors that influence how well HPDs work and the behaviors and beliefs that can result in less protection. For this reason, I’d like to draw your attention to five of the most common hearing protection myths and review the evidence that disproves them.
Myth 1: All foam earplugs are about the same.
Truth: Despite the fact that most foam earplugs are designed to be rolled into a small cylinder and inserted into the ear canal where they expand to form a noise-blocking barrier, foam earplugs vary widely in terms of size, shape, recovery time, softness when touched, ease-of-insertion, pressure and the degree to which they are affected by moisture and humidity. These properties influence how easy it is to properly fit an earplug and how comfortable the earplug is to wear. If an earplug expands too quickly (short recovery time) or is difficult to push into the ear canal (not rigid enough) the wearer might not insert the earplug far enough to work correctly. Likewise, earplugs that are too big or those that exert excessive pressure in the ears may feel uncomfortable, causing the user to wear them incorrectly or to wear them less often than necessary. The end result is a dramatic reduction in effective protection.
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