As part of The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005, employers are required to protect employees from exposure to hazardous noise in the workplace. The level at which employers must provide and enforce the use of suitable hearing protection is 85 dB(A) LEP,d  daily average exposure.  Employers must also instigate an action plan to eliminate or reduce noise exposure, ensure clear demarcation of noise hazard areas and incorporate a health surveillance programme.  

At 80 dB(A) LEP,d daily average noise exposure,  a risk assessment must be carried out to understand the risk to workers' health and provide them with information and training.  Suitable hearing protection must also be made available on request and a health surveillance programme initiated. 

The exposure limit value of 87 dB(A) LEP,d  is the absolute limit which must not be exceeded and hearing protection can be taken into account during exposure assessment.¹

Continued exposure to harmful noise leads to the development of noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) which is totally preventable, but first signs of hearing damage are often ignored. To help employers, 3M has designed a four-step approach to keeping workers safe from hearing damage, involving protection, training and fit validation. 

1. Detection 

The first step is to carry out a workplace assessment to determine whether there is a problem with hazardous noise to begin with.

As a rule of thumb, if employees need to raise their voices at a distance of one metre apart when speaking to one another, or if the noise is otherwise intrusive, it is likely that sound levels are too high. 

In such circumstances an appropriate risk assessment, including noise measurement, should be carried out by a competent person either in-house or an external consultant.  

The output from a risk assessment can help determine an appropriate action plan to reduce risk to noise which includes selection of suitable hearing protective equipment (HPE).  

2. Protection 

Like any other workplace hazard, employers should always follow the hierarchy of control² and implement measures to control noise at source or by design engineering or process change, for example. However, in some workplace environments employees may still need to wear HPE even after going through the hierarchy of control.

In these cases, it is vital that the chosen HPE provides adequate protection for the noise hazard with due consideration for over-protection and that it is also suitable for the wearer and the workplace environment. Here, ‘adequate’ means the equipment must protect against harmful noise levels present in the given environment without isolating the wearer.

However, employers should also bear in mind the need for essential communication and situational awareness of audible alarms and warning signals. Choosing hearing protection with the highest noise attenuation is not necessarily the best solution. Employers should also consider whether or not HPE is compatible with any other personal protective equipment (PPE) being worn, such as safety spectacles, safety helmets or respirators, for example.  

Overall suitability is about the optimum level of protection combined with user preference, compatibility, hygiene considerations and product maintenance. 

Workers should be offered a range of HPE and be involved in the selection process, whether through feedback sessions, questionnaires or similar means. It is important to recognise that each worker has different shapes/sizes of ear canal and that one size or style does not fit all. In addition to protection, comfort plays an important role in overall wearer acceptability of HPE.  

3. Training  

Training is just as important as picking the right equipment in the first place. For training to be effective, it should cover several areas.

First, the importance of HPE should be explained, together with when and how it should be worn. 

Employees must also understand the specific noise hazards present in their workplace; the control measures being adopted; how to wear and adjust their equipment; and any maintenance and storage procedures required.

This will help to make them more aware of their own hearing safety and that of their colleagues, as well as improving their ability to protect against hazards.

4. Validation

The level of protection achieved by hearing protectors in the ‘real world’ is often lower compared with laboratory-generated data under controlled conditions. The difference can be significant, particularly for earplugs. The main cause of the difference is attributed to incorrect size selection and/or poor fitting.

Fit testing is a key element of training and motivation that helps the wearer understand the pitfalls of poor fitting. Individual fit testing can play a valuable role in training and achieving and documenting an effective hearing conservation programme in the workplace.

For example, people with wider ear canals may receive less protection than those with narrower ones. Those who have not been suitably trained on how to insert their ear plugs may also face greater exposure to hazardous noise levels. Fit testing can account for all these factors, providing quantitative data to show the level of protection achieved by each worker.

The E-A-Rfit Dual-Ear Validation System from 3M can test the effectiveness of 3M earplugs or earmuffs while they are being worn, giving accurate results in seconds. This can greatly help with the HPE selection process and understanding the importance of correct fitting technique thus helping increase compliance with the employer’s health and safety policy. 

For more information about hearing conservation, call the 3M helpline on 0870 608 0060.