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Hearing Protection

Enquiry FAQ

Hearing Protection Products fall under two main group. These groups are called Disposable and Reusable.

Disposable Products:

  • Are available in Roll and No Roll options
  • Corded or Uncorded
  • Are available in various designs, sizes and SNR’s
  • Are used for one shift or generally 8 hours

e.g. disposable earplugs

Reusable Products:

  • Available in various designs, sizes and SNR’s
  • Corded or Uncorded, Detectable or Banded
  • Are useable over a longer period of time as long as they are never physically damaged or become too dirty to clean properly.
  • Can be cleaned
  • Have storage containers available
  • Are available in various designs, sizes and SNR’s

e.g. Earplugs and Earmuffs

User replacement parts are available for many products such as cushions and pads.
Its recommended users replace these parts every 6-12 months.

NIHL (or Noise Induced Hearing loss) is the condition that South African regulations require us to be aware that in a loud noise environment, the sound entering a person’s ears does not exceed 85db (Decibels) for an 8 hour period.

NIHL can therefore be prevented by wearing suitable hearing protection, for which the SNR rating coincides with the sound level (decibels) to reduce the noise entering the person’s ears below 85db.

  • Scenario:
    If Peter works in an environment of 105db, appropriate hearing protection should be recommended to reduce the noise entering his ears from 105db to below 85db, therefore hearing protection with a SNR greater than 20 should be adequate.REMEMBER:
    Selecting the highest SNR rating is not necessary the best, we aim at offering protection to bring the user into a zone of 75db-80db, deafening the user completely is not good, nor simply bringing the user into a zone just below 85db, this can often be miscalculated due to poor earplug fit or selection.
    Adequate hearing protection is all about selecting the correct earplug and size and most importantly FITTING it correctly!

    Consider:

    Hearing protection which fits the user and offers adequate protection
    Compatibility with other PPE
    • Cleaning and replacement options
    • Detectable, electronic, communication and audio options