How Do I Choose the Best Hearing Protection?

Think about what noises you encounter daily. Do you work in an environment where you wear other protection while you work? Are ear plugs best or would earmuffs be better? Is it usually hot or cold where you work? Do you work outside or inside? Another thing to think about is how often you need to hear when someone is speaking. Before buying hearing protection, really think about the environment you’re in every day and decide what protection is best for everyday use. 

The point of hearing protection is to reduce the noise around you to not only protect your ears but to give you a better overall environment that isn’t as noisy. But just like reading with not enough light, having too much of the noise around you muted can make you less aware of your surrounding and could start to make you feel more isolated. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets limits on noise exposure in the workplace with the limits based on what’s called a worker’s 8-hour-time-weighted-average or TWA. In layman’s terms, during an 8-hour workday, noise should not exceed 85 dbA. The best way to test your hearing protection to see if you’re getting the proper noise reduction is by doing a “talk, tap, and listen” test. Talk while you have your protection on. When you speak, it should sound like your voice is coming from “within.” Tap the tragus tragus (the small cartilage nub which protrudes near the entry to the ear canal) of your ear. It should sound like a bass drum. Listen with both ears covered by your hearing protection. Is the sound clean? Is there any outside noise?

You won't want to wear your protective gear if it isn't comfortable. Make sure when you do buy or seek hearing protection, you test for comfort. There are a variety of styles available from foam to silicone. Try wearing them for an extended period of time, maybe for an hour, and see how you feel with them on. Comfort is probably the most important tip because the more comfortable the protection and fit, the more likely you are to wear them.