Bad Assumptions About Hearing Protection #2: Any Ear Plug in the Ear is Blocking Some Noise

It simply isn’t true. An ear plug just sitting in the bowl of the outer ear, without sealing the ear canal, is simply nice ear decor — but it is offering little protection from noise. In fact, attenuation measurements show that a poorly-fit ear plug often creates a resonance cavity in the ear canal, actually increasing the noise level by a few decibels (similar to cupping your hand around your ear to hear better).

This is problematic for a safety manager who is trying to judge compliance visually. He/she might assume that any ear plug that can be seen in a worker’s ear must be doing some good, and focus more on the workers who are wearing no protection at all. In reality, a poorly-fit ear plug offers no protection, just like the worker with no ear plug.

Here is one visual cue of a proper ear plug fit: when viewing yourself in a mirror straight ahead (or when looking at a co-worker face-to-face), a poorly-fit ear plug is clearly visible protruding from the ear canal, while a properly-fit ear plug is hardly visible.

For the user, a good self-test of proper fit of ear plugs is easily performed. Prior to inserting your ear plugs, press the palms of your hands tightly against your ears, and say some words out loud. Your own voice sounds louder and deeper when your ears are covered. Now insert your ear plugs, and repeat that voice check. If the ear plugs are properly fit, there will be very little difference in the sound of your voice when you cover and uncover your ears with your hands.

 

Next: Bad Assumption #3: An Ear Plug Halfway in the Ear Blocks About Half the Noise