What ear defenders do workmen use?

vikki_louise

Hi, I need some ear defenders to block out the maximum amount of noise possible, when I type ear defenders into eBay or amazon hundreds come up, a lot look like just a bit of foam connected by flimsey plastic. I wondered if anyone knew what kind people use for work to protect their hearing? Thanks

Nilrem

Have a look at Screwfix, they do ear protectors starting at the "diy" cheapies that cost about £3, up to some very good ones.
IIRC there are different levels of protection, I think some are 25db+ reduction in noise, the cheaper ones tend not to have as good a fit/last as long/the same level of protection.

You can spend a not so small fortune on them as some are active (IIRC use noise cancelling tech) rather than just "passive" with a good fit and insulation around the ears.

cootuk

A lot would depend how much noise you need to block, what frequencies, and for how long.
Then it's whether you want disposable or reusable.
Then it's the type of fit you want - do they need to integrate with safety helmets etc or other equipment

southcoastrgi

cootuk wrote: »

A lot would depend how much noise you need to block, what frequencies, and for how long.
Then it's whether you want disposable or reusable.
Then it's the type of fit you want - do they need to integrate with safety helmets etc or other equipment

agree what noise are you trying to block out ? If it's your husbands moaning or snoring they don't make ear defenders that good

cyclonebri1

Hearing protection is both a very technical issue and a personnal 1.

As the above posters have said it's is down to what technically is needed often by H&S regs and how safe it is to completely shut a person off from their environment which in itself is highly dangerous.

I used to provide this stuff for my workforce and we always gave them a choice otherwise the complaints flooded in.
Personnal choice as said :D

torbrex

The last factory that I worked in had a number of choices of ear defenders from the large over the ear type that you will see road diggers using to the in-ear ones that can be bought from your local chemist.
They also brought in a company called 'Emtec' to do a test of the noise levels and they took an impression of our outer ear canals and produced a re-useable, washable earplug that was unique to each user and fitted in the ear perfectly, it took away all the industrial noise but still allowed conversation.

Fruitcake

As others have said, hearing protection is a personal as well as technical problem.

Earmuffs are good and will reduce industrial noise such as neurotic drills or ankle grinders. For greater noise reduction use ear plugs in conjunction with ear muffs. This is what I use when testing jet engines. If you use earplugs, make sure you fit them properly.

It's worth watching this video on how to correctly fit earplugs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPNPZJingZA

It may seem long winded but it is actually absolutely spot on. With just ear defenders (ear muffs) I can still hear people talking to me. With correctly fitted foam earplugs and ear muffs, I can hardly hear what people are saying. It's a strange sensation as noises reduce whilst the foam expands in your ear, but I don't go near the engines until the noise reduction has happened. This normally takes about 10-20 seconds.

Remember, hearing loss is permanent, so taking extra care now is worth it.

Jonesya

The other thing to consider is how often you'll be putting them on/taking them off during the work and how clean/dirty your hands will be.

Personally I like the over-ear type as in a dirty environment it's hard to keep ear plugs clean and you don't want dirt in your ears.

vikki_louise

Thank you for the excellent advice. I the I ask is a bit embarrassing but I have a condition which makes me very sensitive to noise and I have tickets to the Olympics (70,000 cheering in a tiled aqua centre, there's just no way I could cope), also thought they would be useful for when in hospital if it's loud but it's mostly to block 70,000 people out or as close as I can get.
I will go and watch the video on ear plugs thank you again everyone

photome

vikki_louise wrote: »

Thank you for the excellent advice. I the I ask is a bit embarrassing but I have a condition which makes me very sensitive to noise and I have tickets to the Olympics (70,000 cheering in a tiled aqua centre, there's just no way I could cope), also thought they would be useful for when in hospital if it's loud but it's mostly to block 70,000 people out or as close as I can get.
I will go and watch the video on ear plugs thank you again everyone

In that case I recomend Hearos, in particular these ones http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hearos-Xtreme-Protection-Series-Plugs/dp/B002QRR3AK/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1341813805&sr=8-9

£7.50 for 14 pairs (cheaper if you can get to the states or if you want fewer pairs) they are reusable and I have tried lots of different ear plugs over the years but these fit well and work very well

muckybutt

In my apprenticship days I used to work in a canning factory, literally 1000's of tin cans rattling around an hour so you can imagine the din they made.
I personally used two types of protection, the first being an ear defender http://www.arco.co.uk/products/249000/54865/Peltor+Optime+III+Ear+Muffs+Over+Head+SNR35
These were ok if there was plenty of ventillation as they do get sweaty after a while, really kept loud noise right down but still able to hear folks close to you.

The second being either the reusable in ear http://compare.ebay.co.uk/like/180921625716?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar&cbt=y
or the foam in ear ones http://www.arco.co.uk/products/2U0006/189083/50+pairs+Uvex+X+Fit+Ear+Plugs
both really do cut nearly all noise out as they fit to the ear canal to the extent you'll have to lip read the person standing next to you.