SATRA’s new hemi-anechoic chamber
is the result of significant investment
by the company to extend its hearing
protection testing service. 3M has
signed up as the first customer for
acoustic testing and the two companies
have donated the £3000 test fee to
the charity Action on Hearing Loss.

The new chamber is isolated from
outside noise and provides the
conditions needed to test hearing
protectors to strict European
standards – a service that is in
demand but not widely available.

The facility will help manufacturers
place professionally tested and
certified hearing protection products
on the market quickly. SATRA’s team
of acoustic specialists can advise on
all aspects of hearing protection
testing including technical and
legislative issues.

SATRA is now able to test all types
of ear-muffs, ear-plugs and safety
helmet-mounted hearing protection
to the BS EN 352 series of standards.

SATRA also tests a product’s physical
properties – weight, construction,
sizing, adjustability, cup rotation,
headband force and flexing, cushion
pressure, and so on.