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TYPES OF HEARING PROTECTION

Types of hearing protection from earplugs to earmuffs....

In selecting hearing protection, you need to know which frequencies need to be attenuated. For example, if the noise were predominantly low frequency, a hearing protector which has poor low frequency protection would not be an appropriate choice. On the other hand, you might actually need to hear some of the lower frequencies of speech of voice communication is required. Overall, the aim is to ensure that daily noise exposure of the hearing-protected woodworker is still less that 85 db(A) irrespective of the frequency spectrum composition of the noise in your workshop.

Acoustic Helmet

The acoustic helmet covers a large part of the head and outer ear, such as those worn by pilots. The helmets are bulky, expensive and not for general industrial use, but in extreme applications they can offer more hearing protection than any other alternative.... just NOT necessary for the traditional woodworker... male or female :)

Ear Canal Caps

Ear canal caps are made of light rubber or PVC type material They seal off the entrance to the ear canal without entering it like an earplug.

The ear canal caps are held in place by a spring headband. This type of hearing protection is gaining popularity on construction sites due to the ease of positioning over the ears when faced with noise which are usually in short durations. This theory could also apply to an individual's woodworking shop.

But they are NOT recommended for prolonged noise exposure, ie working in your shop all day with large noisy equipment. They just don't provide the necessary level of protection because they often do a poor job of sealing the ear canal and can easily shift out of the "best" protective position without you really being conscious of this fact. If they make the headband too "springy" for better contact, it creates sensitive pressure points on your head.. a no win situation with a toss up between comfort and functionality.

Some woodworkers migrate to ear canal caps because they are less expensive and cooler to wear in the hot parts of the year, that doesn't make them appropriate to the situation, ONLY CHEAP and COOL .. kind of like buying that $100 planer and wondering why it does a lousy job of planning 3" thick rough lumber.

Buy ear protection appropriate to your environment and not to your pocketbook.. remember you only have one set of ears!

Earplugs

Typically earplugs are made of foam rubber, plastic or silicone, and may come user-formable, pre-molded or custom-molded. They can provide good noise attenuation, but a correct fit is imperative for effective hearing protection in any woodworking environment.

In fact it is this last comment that leads to their downfall. Cheap earplugs like ear canal caps only provide good hearing protection if they entirely seal the ear canal. This requires fiddling, squishing and contorting their shape to fit YOUR ear. Without that FIT they are next to useless.

Having said that the hear-aid industry has transferred their knowledge to the industrial arena and are now using their ear moulding technology to create fitted custom earplugs. They fit YOU and no one else.. exactly like a hearing aid!

This is all positive... they are light weight, don't require a head band, and provide perfect sound attenuation from blocking 100% of the environmental noise, to anywhere downstream. .. and they don't interfere with "the pencil in the ear" :)

Some of the sophisticated models even include a hook up for an MP3 player (although we don't recommend that when using machinery) Typical price, at least in my back yard was $150-200. I suspect that the prices will fall somewhat as they become more mainstream.

Earmuffs

Earmuffs consist of two padded and internally insulated domes which cover the entire ear. A spring-tensioned headband holds the padded cup to the side of the head at a clamping force to provide the attenuation desired. Noise canceling earmuffs have either mechanically or electronically activated shut-off valves which enable the earmuffs to allow noise up to a certain level. This type of hearing protection is an excellent choice for the woodworker as continuous removal is not necessary to hear conversations or even the sound of the machinery.

 

Selecting the right hearing protection:

There are several ways of going about selecting hearing protection devices, ranging from a simple crude assessment of the noise to sophisticated assessments which take into account all the actual frequencies involved. You should seek out a reputable manufacturer of hearing protection devices to select the protector which provides adequate protection, according to the noise, cost, and wearer's compatibility and acceptability. (Note the last comment: if you won't wear it, what's the point?)

Noise reduction rating:

Manufacturers provide information about the noise reducing capability of a hearing protector as an NRR (noise reduction rating) number. The NRR ratings are based on noise reduction obtained in laboratory conditions. The effectiveness of hearing protection is reduced greatly if the hearing protectors do not fit properly or if they are worn only part time during long periods of noise exposure.

To maintain their effectiveness, they should not be modified.

Remember, radio headsets are not substitutes for hearing protectors and should not be worn where hearing protectors are required to protect against exposure to noise.

Also, make sure that children are wearing properly fitted hearing protection as well when working (or playing :) ) in the shop with mom! .. their ears are more fragile and thus hearing protection becomes particularly critical!!

HAPPY WOODWORKING..

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