Hearing protection – safety for the ears
Whether in workshops, in production halls or on construction sites, many people face considerable noise in their daily work. This background noise can be distracting and stressful. In the long term, noise is also dangerous and can lead to mental health problems, hearing loss and deafness. So make sure to protect your ears with high-quality and versatile hearing protection from uvex.
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Hearing protection and health
Most people are aware that noise can be harmful to the ears. But how exactly does hearing damage caused by noise occur?
Inside the ear – more precisely inside the cochlea – is the “organ of Corti”, which contains hair cells. The hair cells have the ability to absorb sound, which they convert into electrical signals and transmit to the brain. In doing so, the sensory hair cells constantly try to fight against the sound pressure and straighten themselves up again. This requires a lot of energy, which is supplied to the hair cells through the bloodstream. If you are constantly exposed to noise with high sound intensity, this energy is no longer sufficient: the hair cells become “exhausted” and no longer transmit sound correctly. The result is a loss of hearing.
Legal requirements for hearing protection
Protecting employees from hearing damage and noise-induced hearing loss is in the interests of the company – and thus also in the interests of the legislator. Therefore, the necessary measures for hearing protection in the workplace are laid down by law. The following legal texts provide important guidance:
- German Occupational Safety and Health Act (Arbeitsschutzgesetz – ArbSchG)
- Noise and Vibration OSH Ordinance (Lärm- und Vibrations-Arbeitsschutzverordnung – LärmVibrationsArbSchV)
- German Ordinance on the Use of PPE (PSA-Benutzungsverordnung – PSA-BV).
Generally speaking, hearing protection in the form of earmuffs or hearing protection earplugs must be provided by the employer for environments with a sound pressure level of 80 dB(A) or higher. In addition, if the daily noise level is at least 85 dB(A), employees are obliged to wear hearing protection.
It’s useful to know that since hearing protection is part of the statutory personal protective equipment for the workplace, the costs are completely covered by the employer.
Hearing protection for building sites and similar environments – as loud as it gets
Construction sites and industrial buildings are often subject to high levels of noise due to the variety of tools and machines in use. But what kind of volume are we talking about in these cases?
Noise sources compared
Do you use a hammer drill almost daily? This type of work is almost as loud as an aeroplane taking off. That’s why the right hearing protection is an absolute must for this task and other activities like it. This is how other sources of noise compare with each other:
| Source of noise | Sound pressure level in dB(A) |
Aeroplane taking off | 140 |
Hammer drill | 114 |
Chainsaw | 110 |
Jackhammer (10 m away) | 100 |
Hand drill | 87 |
Vacuum cleaner | 80 |
Office noise | 60 |
Conversation at a moderate volume | 50 |
Whispering | 30 |
Leaves rustling | 10 |
Noise exposure without hearing protection
From time to time, you may feel tempted to forego hearing protection when carrying out a task that you assume won’t take long. However, depending on the level of noise exposure, dangerous, irreversible damage to your hearing can occur in just a few minutes or even seconds.
This is the maximum time a person not wearing hearing protection can be exposed to a harmful level of noise per day:
| Noise level | Time period |
85 dB | 8 hours |
88 dB | 4 hours |
91 dB | 2 hours |
94 dB | 1 hour |
97 dB | 30 minutes |
100 dB | 15 minutes |
103 dB | 7.5 minutes |
106 dB | 4 minutes |
109 dB | 2 minutes |
112 dB | 1 minute |
115 dB | 30 seconds |
What types of professional hearing protection are available?
If your working environment means that there is an obligation to wear hearing protection for construction sites or industrial applications, the most common options are hearing protection earplugs, or various earmuffs or banded ear protectors. These two main types of hearing protection are used as follows, depending on the noise level, personal preferences and legal requirements:
Hearing protection earplugs
Hearing protection earplugs are available in disposable and reusable versions. Disposable earplugs are made of fine-pore foam, while reusable earplugs are made of washable TPE. Both variants are inserted into the ear canal to seal it. If earplugs are used correctly and you have selected the right insulation class, no harmful noise will get into the ear. It is very important to position the earplugs correctly and to ensure they are inserted deeply enough to provide effective insulation. For this reason, uvex offers earplugs in various shapes and sizes. You can also find out how to insert the earplugs correctly in our uvex how-to videos.
Hearing protection earplug dispensers can be installed in workshops and production halls for a particularly practical way of providing hearing protection that means employees can access disposable ear plugs whenever they need them.
Disposable earplugs are also frequently used in everyday life, for example as hearing protection when sleeping, at sports events or at concerts.
Earmuffs
Earmuffs are another option for protecting yourself against harmful noise. These consist of two cups that completely cover the external parts of the ears and are joined together by a headband, protecting against the damaging effects of noise. The full-coverage sealing cushions are used to create a good seal and a comfortable fit for the wearer.
In addition to the commonly used headband variants, uvex also offers various earmuffs that can be attached directly to industrial safety helmets to enable convenient and safe use of earmuffs in combination with an industrial safety helmet or face protection visor. The highlight of the range is the magnetic variant of the uvex pheos K2P, as the magnets make it possible to disassemble the earmuffs without any tools and in seconds if necessary. This means that the helmet’s design can always be customised to the wearer’s needs – if the earmuffs are not required, they can be removed, reducing the weight on the head and thereby preventing strain on the muscles of the neck.
The uvex aXess one is a smart hearing protection solution. These earmuffs with RAL functionality (RAL: Real Active Listening) allow you to perceive ambient noise, enabling communication with those nearby. In addition, they make it easier to detect interfering signals or warning signals. The earmuffs can be connected to mobile phones using the integrated Bluetooth functionality, thus ensuring that the wearer remains accessible despite wearing hearing protection.
Finding the right hearing protection for your application
If you are looking for your ideal hearing protection, both earmuff and earplug options are available. There are a number of other factors that are crucial when it comes to choosing your hearing protection.
The right hearing protection for the noise level
At a noise level of 85 dB(A), employees are obliged to wear hearing protection in the workplace. When working with tools and equipment such as jackhammers, rollers or blowers, high levels of noise are a frequent occurrence. Deciding which hearing protection is the right choice for your workshop, construction site or industrial building depends above all on the level of noise.
Our hearing wheel will help you to find the ideal uvex hearing protection for your everyday work.
Buying hearing protection – other important factors
While your hearing protection must be tailored to the individual noise levels, there are other points you should consider when choosing hearing protection for your workshop or construction site:
- Length of use and comfort levels: the longer you wear your hearing protection, the higher the wearer comfort needs to be. Good hearing protection creates a seal but is not too tight and does not pinch.
- A precise fit: following on from the previous point, to make it easy to wear earmuffs for long periods of time, they need to fit perfectly. A precise fit also plays an important role in ensuring that hearing protection is able to defend against noise effectively: earmuffs enclose the outer ears and create a seal to block sound waves but must not be uncomfortably tight. Glasses wearers or those with beards should pay special attention to this.
- Compatibility with other PPE: if you wear hearing protection in combination with other personal protective equipment (PPE), it is important to make sure that the different PPE products work well with each other. This guarantees wearer comfort and an accurate fit at all times.
Individual hearing protection with otoplastics
Have you tried a whole range of banded ear protectors and hearing protection earplugs, but none of them offered the necessary combination of safety and wearer comfort? The solution is individual hearing protection in the form of hearing protection otoplastics. uvex offers different types of otoplastics that are precisely manufactured based on an imprint of your ear, creating ideal hearing protection that does not pinch. Just like with regular hearing protection, the costs for custom hearing protection are covered by the employer.
uvex hearing protection for safe work
Whether you’re looking for classic hearing protection earplugs, earmuffs or custom-made otoplastics, uvex offers hearing protection that fits you and your work situation perfectly. You can find more information on hearing and hearing protection in our hearing protection guide.
