EUROPEAN UNION PHYSICAL AGENTS (NOISE) DIRECTIVE
As of April 2006, a new European Directive was transposed into national law, bringing with it major changes. The exposure levels that define whether hearing protection should be worn have been reduced and as such many more workers will now be required by law to wear hearing protection in accordance with the following guidelines:
Lower Exposure Action Value - where employees are exposed to sound levels at or above 80dB(A) the employer must make suitable hearing protection available to employees on request, but does not necessarily need to enforce its use.
Upper Exposure Action Value - where employees are exposed to sound levels at or above 85dB(A) the employer must provide and strictly enforce the use of suitable hearing protection in the affected areas of the workplace.
Exposure Limit Value - a new feature of the directive is the daily exposure limit value. This value takes into account the attenuation provided by the individual hearing protectors worn by the worker. This exposure limit value is set as 87dB(A). This limit value refers to the noise level at the ear whilst wearing hearing protection and is an absolute maximum limit that must not be exceeded after all control measures have been implemented.
EUROPEAN STANDARDS
EN 352 Part 1 Ear muffs
EN 352 Part 2 Ear plugs
EN 352 Part 3 Helmet mounted ear muffs
EN 352 Part 4 Level Dependent ear muffs
EN 352 Part 5 Active noise reduction ear muffs
EN 352 Part 6 Ear muffs with electrical audio input
EN 352 Part 7 Level Dependent ear plugs
As part of risk assessment, a noise meter should be used to monitor sound level.
The latest in sound technology - hearing protectors which amplify weak sounds while attenuating loud noises.
A traditional method of ear protection. Today's range of muffs cope with a very wide spectrum of industrial hazards. It is important to study the attenuation characteristics of each model as they do vary in performance across the range of sound frequency.
Stored conveniently and unobtrusively arround the neck when not in use, this is the perfect product for supervisors, managers and others, who move intermittently in and out of noise hazardous areas.
Popular with safety officers, head and ear protection in one. Today's models are styled to be sensibly 'parked' when not in use.
Hearing protection with the ability to still enjoy the news, sport and music at work, makes jobs less fatiguing.
For people covering large areas within a noisy environment, ear muffs that incorporate communication systems.
Can be worn conveniently with all other PPE items. Easy to use, with attenuation provided often exceeding that of ear muffs, whilst disposable they provide excellent protection with long term comfort.
Flexi versions are favoured for carrying around the neck when not in use. Most plugs are also available in a corded version.
One of several plugs giving specific benefits. In the case of ‘Tracers’ they are metal detectable and have an easy-to-see blue vinyl cord, making them ideal for the food manufacturing industry.
SNR (STANDARD NOISE REDUCTION)
SNR (Standard Noise Reduction) is only a general means of comparing different ear muffs. Generally the higher the SNR number, the better the performance of the ear muff across a range of noise frequencies, for example: a SNR of 30 may not give a 30 decibel attenuation at all frequencies.
The figures associated with H, M and L indicate the level of protection within the range of High, Medium or Low frequency noise.
Examples: For the wearer of an ear muff where H=35 a high frequency noise of 100 decibels will drop to 65 decibels. Wearing the same ear muff, where M = 25, a medium frequency noise of 100 decibels will drop to 75 decibels.