Putting the personal back into PPE: hearing protector effectiveness

The lessons learned from this field study of hearing protector attenuation can be distilled for the safety manager into two recommendations: 1) One-on-one training is the best predictor of whether workers will achieve a good fit with their ear plug. While the sheer volume of individual training may appear overwhelming in some facilities, the results were significant and measurable in terms of protecting hearing. 2) If a worker obtains a poor fit with a particular style of ear plug, trying a different pair of ear plugs typically achieves an acceptable attenuation. But even if the different ear plugs do not provide proper fit, the employer still has the option of fitting ear muffs to that worker. Field testing of hearing protectors bridges the gap between the laboratory estimates of attenuation and the real-world attenuation achieved by workers as they normally wear the protectors. But most importantly, it restores the personal back into Personal Protective Equipment. And when it comes to hearing protection, achieving good protection is all personal.