Page 22 - Occupational Health & Safety, March 2017

HEARING PROTECTION
Ear Plug Selection and Fitting Best Practices
Fit-testing of hearing protection now allows a worker to try various hearing protectors to determine which type is most suitable.
able occupational injuries in the workplace. Yet many safety managers falsely assume that proper use of hearing protection is fairly intuitive, as easy as just purchasing “one size fits all” ear plugs and distribut- ing to noise-exposed workers. In this discussion with Brad Witt, director of hearing conservation at Hon- eywell, we identify the critical steps to ensure hear- ing protection is properly selected, fitted, and worn to stop noise-induced hearing loss.
Q: Let’s start at the beginning: selecting the prop- er ear plug. How can safety managers determine which ear plugs are the best fit for their workers?
A: Imagine sending a friend to the store to pur- chase shoes for you, with the following instructions: “Any size, any shape, any style ... doesn’t really mat- ter!” Many people select ear plugs in the same carefree manner. The prevailing assumption is that “anything in my ear will protect my hearing—it doesn’t really matter.” In reality, ear canals come in different sizes and shapes, affecting both fit and protection levels, as well as comfort. A work site that offers only one size or style of ear plug sabotages its own hearing conserva- tion efforts.
Q: Why is variety so important?
A: In one study of typical ear canal sizes across gender and populations, results showed that females typically have ear canals approximately 20 percent smaller than males, and those of Asians and Africans have significantly smaller ear canals than Caucasians as a population.1 In addition to these general differ- ences according to gender and ethnicity, there are also significant individual differences in ear canal size.
One of the real benefits of offering a variety of hearing protection sizes and styles is the fact that it can generally be accomplished with little or no increase in cost. Whether a work site offers 1,000 ear plugs of one style or 250 ear plugs of four different styles, the cost would be quite similar. By offering workers more va- riety in ear plug selection, companies will provide a better fit for more ears and protect significantly more of their workers.
Fit-testing of hearing protection now allows a worker to try various hearing protectors to deter- mine which type is most suitable. Often, the worker’s first choice of ear plugs is not the best. But with doz- ens of different styles available, it can be difficult to decide which ear plug would be a better choice for a given worker.
Q: And if at first you don’t succeed? What should safety advisors try next when a worker achieves poor results with the ear plug first selection?
A: This is not an uncommon situation. Based on our experience with one-on-one training, there are
Despite more than 30 years of regulatory ad- vances and ever-increasing awareness of the danger, noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) continues to be one of the leading prevent-
18 Occupational Health & Safety | MARCH 2017
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