A Guide to Hearing Protection

NIHL (Noise-Induced Hearing Loss) Is Preventable!

We live in a noisy world. Most of it is our own making.

According to the National Institutes of Health:

“Recreational activities that can put you at risk for NIHL include target shooting and hunting, snowmobile riding, listening to MP3 players at high volume through earbuds or headphones, playing in a band, and attending loud concerts. Harmful noises at home may come from sources including lawnmowers, leaf blowers, and woodworking tools.”

The irony is that NIHL is preventable, because hearing protection is the solution.

Experts agree that sounds over 85 dB can damage hearing. What gets damaged are the sensitive hair cells in the ear—and we humans cannot grow replacements. So, once the damage is done—by gradual, long-term exposure or one short blast—it’s permanent.

The kinds of hearing protection

Ear protectors come in three varieties: foam earplugs, headphones or earmuffs, and flange-type inserts. Each have their strengths and weaknesses.

• Foam earplugs are inexpensive, tend to be more comfortable, and can be cooler to wear. However, customers should learn to insert them properly and replace them frequently.
• Earmuffs are easy to place on the head and to remove. They offer more hearing protection options and last longer, but wearing them in combination with eyewear can lessen the seal around the ears.
• Flange types insert into the ear canal like earplugs but offer more sophisticated engineering and a customized fit.

What is Noise Reduction Rating (NRR)?

NRR is a helpful guideline to understand how well a hearing protection device reduces sound. Unfortunately, the ratings can also be misleading. That’s because they are usually lab based, not real-world based.

The mining division of the CDC recommends derating earmuffs by 25%, foam plugs by 50%, and molded flanged plugs by 70%. This is not a hard and fast rule and can vary by the devices’ manufacturer.

Just how loud is too loud?

85 dB is the recommended safe limit for 8 hours of continuous exposure. But how does that translate into the real world? 3M has created a great chart that rates common sounds. And Dangerousdecibels.org’s graphic shows how long someone can safely listen to a particular dB level before damage is done.

As you can see, general conversation is 60 dB, a vacuum cleaner 80 dB, a leaf blower 90 dB, a chainsaw 100 dB, and crowd noise 120 dB.

The National Institutes of Health have identified other familiar sounds that can endanger our ears.

• Movie theater: 74 to 104 dB
• Motorcycles and dirt bikes: 80 to 110 dB
• Music through headphones at max volume, sporting events, and concerts: 94 to 110 dB
• Sirens: 110 to 129 dB
• Fireworks: 140 to 160 dB

And for sounds above 100 dB, two kinds of hearing protection devices need to be worn simultaneously.

Remember, noise-induced hearing loss is permanent. Protection is a must.

Hearing Protection for Shooting

Hunters and target shooters definitely need hearing protection. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association finds almost all firearms fire at 140 dB or higher. Indoor shooting ranges can be even louder. This means double protection is definitely in order.

Fortunately, there are a wide variety of earplugs and earmuffs for shooting.

The entire line of Walker’s Game Ear products is designed specifically for shooting sports. Plus their foam earplugs can easily be coupled with their earmuffs to provide the recommended double protection.

Passive protection is achieved by materials used for construction. Active dynamic sound compression, as well as sound-activated compression, also suppress loud noises. Many models also include enhanced sound detection listening modes.

Hearing Protection for Musicians and Music Teachers

According to one report, the average band rehearsal often reaches 110 dB, marching band rehearsals reach 125 dB, and choral or general music classroom levels reach 100 dB.

Foam earplugs are not good solutions for music applications as they can distort important frequencies. High-fidelity, flange-type earplugs, such as those from Etymotic, are preferred.

ETY-Plugs and ER•20XS Standard High-Fidelity Earplugs reduce most noise to safe levels while preserving the clarity of speech and richness of music. They are designed to replicate the natural response of the ear canal, so when sound enters the earplug, it is reproduced unchanged. They also feature a stemless design and low profile, making them ideal for wearing under hats and headgear. The ER•20XS Universal High-Fidelity Earplugs incorporate foam ear tips for more fitting options.

MUSIC•PRO Electronic Earplugs resemble earbuds, yet they incorporate a flange design. Musicians who want to hear naturally but need protection from sudden impact noise and loud, sustained passages appreciate the flange design. They have two modes of operation. One provides natural hearing with sound reduction when things get too loud. The other offers enhanced hearing which boosts soft sounds, then kicks in dB protection when sound safe levels are exceeded. A variety of ear tips are included to customize the fit.

Hearing Protection for Kids

Parents need to provide special hearing protection for their children. Their tiny eardrums are still developing and can be easily damaged. Fortunately, there are specially designed earmuffs for infants as well as kids.

Walker’s Game Ear has a muff for infants that incorporates a grow band that helps with the fit as young heads grow. They also have one for those with smaller heads such as youth and women.

Lucid offers a colorful line of Infant HearMuffs and Kids HearMuffs, available with or without a grow band.

Infant HearMuffs Soothe allow voices to be heard while actively compressing harmful noises. HearMuffs Sounds for Infants also can play soothing, comforting sounds at the touch of a button. And Kids HearMuffs Trio incorporates a conversation mode, as well as the ability to connect an external device via its aux port.

Hearing Protection for Everyone Else

For your customers who work in the yard, have a home workshop, ride a snowmobile, or take the subway, and still want Bluetooth connectivity to their smartphones, there are hearing protection headphones designed just for them.

ION’s Tough Sounds, Lucid’s Hearing Headphones, and Walker’s Game Ear Radio Muff have great consumer appeal.

ION’s Tough Sounds add AM/FM radio into the mix as well as a water-resistant, all-weather design, and 25 dB noise reduction.

Lucid’s Hearing Headphones have sound-activated compression to protect from harmful noise plus use AMPED technology to amplify soft, outside sounds up to 9 times. There are also models that incorporate a TV streamer for more private TV watching.

And although Walker’s Game Ear AM/FM Radio Muff does not have Bluetooth like the above products, it does offer AM/FM radio, 25 dB noise reduction, a digital screen with a low-battery indicator, and the ability to hardwire in an MP3 or CD player.

Sounds of Silence

Noise-induced hearing loss is typically gradual. It turns out that 47% of what has been termed the Woodstock Generation is now reporting a hearing loss. This is the generation that listened to loud or very loud music in their teens or 20s.

And every generation since then has equally embraced loud music.

It’s time to break the cycle.

The need for everyone to wear hearing protection at various times cannot be stressed enough. And because the activities that require it are so far-ranging, almost every retail store has one or more demographics that can benefit from ear protection. So be sure to check out Petra’s wholesale hearing protection lineup then stock your store with ear-saving technology.