Hearing protection gear is designed to protect your ears from noise-induced hearing loss. It comes in forms like earplugs and earmuffs, and works by reducing the level of noise reaching the inner ear and damaging the fine hairs located there.
Since exposure to excessive noise can cause permanent hearing loss, the question isn’t so much if you need hearing protection, but when you need it.
Hearing protection is recommended when:
- Your environment is loud
- Your ears ring after being exposed to noise
- Your ears hurt, or bother you, in noisy places.
The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety says people should wear hearing protection “if the noise or sound level they are exposed to is close to or greater than the occupational exposure limits” This limit is defined as 85 decibels over an 8-hour period. 85 decibels is the level of noise found in a noisy restaurant or heavy traffic.
For added context, here are the decibel levels of some other familiar things: dishwasher (70 db), vacuum (75 db), kitchen blenders(95 db), power tools (90 db and up), a lawnmower (90 db), motorcycle (100 db), sporting event (110 db), and a concert (120 db).
Furthermore, when levels go over 85 decibels, the time limit for exposure decreases drastically. For example, the time limit before you risk hearing damage at a concert at 120 db is just 7 minutes!
So hearing protection is a great help for those living in, working in, or playing in noisy environments. This includes trades personnel, musicians, service workers, and anyone concerned with hearing health.
Audiologists are able to custom manufacture a variety of ear plugs for use in different noisy environments. These are made to provide the maximum amount of noise reduction available by industry standards.