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All places of work and use of work equipment which produce significant noise levels must be assessed so that the employer is aware of and knows what control measures must be put in place to protect their workforce.
Where possible the risk must be eliminated which is easier said than done and is not always possible. Appropriate control measures (following a risk assessment of the workspace or activities occurring within that workspace) must then be implemented.
Once the noise levels within the workplace have been established the appropriate hearing protection can then be provided.
All hearing protection has a Single Number Rating (SNR) displayed on the packaging which helps to determine the level of protection required. Acceptable levels to work in are between 70 and 80 decibels and so this is the range which an employer should be able to achieve for their workers to operate in.
The SNR number is the noise level inside the hearing protection and is therefore equivalent to whatever the SNR number is which is subtracted from the noise level outside of the hearing protection / in the workplace.
For example, if the noise level in a workshop is 100dB then hearing protection with an SNR number / rating of 30 would be required to meet the acceptable noise level: 100db – 30dB = 70dB + 5dB = A noise level of 75dB
The HSE state that you must add a tolerance of +5bD as a safety margin, and so hearing protection with an SNR rating of 30 in this instance would be acceptable.
Alternatively, If you were standing near to a jet engine where the noise levels were say 140dB then hearing protection with a greater SNR rating would be required.
In this example, the SNR would need to equal 70db (140dB – 70dB + 5dB = 75db) to reduce the noise level within the hearing protection to an acceptable level.
It might be tempting to simply buy the ear defenders with the highest SNR, but it is very important to note that you can get ‘too good’ a hearing protection which can block out too much noise.
This is a potential hazard as operatives may not be able to hear each other in for example an emergency situation occurring, there is also evidence of users feeling isolated as they are almost sensory deprived and so it is critical to get the correct hearing protection for each workplace.
With regards to communication there are various Bluetooth connected hearing protection devices available or ones which connect via radio, and these can help with communications between employees wearing hearing protection during the course of their work activities.
The HSE has produced a lot of useful information on with regards to hearing protection levels and so the following link should be viewed - https://www.hse.gov.uk/noise/regulations.htm
Finally it is important to remember that;
PPE only protects the user; a safe system of work protects everyone.
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