Hearing protection selection tool
Choosing the right hearing protection can seem like an impossible task sometimes.
This tool allows you to enter your noise level and it will give a list of suitable hearing protectors, listed by name, type and expected noise level under the protector - the noise people actually hear.
It can also be filtered by type, so muffs, plugs, detectable plugs, clip-on muffs for hard hats, etc.
Key points: Hearing protection selection tool
Enter your noise level - use the average dB(C).
If you don’t have the average dB(C), enter the average dB(A). This is normally within a few dB of the average dB(C) so will be in the right area, but to be totally correct you should use the average dB(C).
The HSE say in L108 that you should aim for a noise level at the ear of around 70 to 78 dB so this is the range which comes up as ‘suitable’ in this tool.
There are also options for showing protectors which give too much noise reduction (over-protecting) or too little (under protecting).
For more guidance on how to choose the right hearing protection, and for other tools such as checking a specific SNR against your noise risk, see the Choosing the Right Hearing Protection page.
The various types
Muff (electronic) - fancy ones with active noise suppression and speech pass-through at lower noise levels.
Muff (headband) - your standard over-the-head style of ear muff.
Muff (helmet) - a helmet / hard-hat mounted ear muff, one which clips on to a hard hat.
Muff (music) - an ear muff which has Bluetooth (or less commonly these days, an aux connection) for music playback.
Muff (multi-position) - a muff where the band can go over the head or round the neck, while keeping the muff in position.
Muff (neckband) - one where the band goes round the neck rather than over the head, handy if wearing bump caps, etc.
Muff (folding) - the headband folds up against the cups so it is smaller in storage.
Plug - your standard in-ear plug. Could be disposable or reusable depending on type.
Plug (banded) - has soft plug-style ends which typically sit on the ear canal rather than inside it, connected by a hard plastic band.
Plug (corded) - where the two plugs have a soft cord connecting them so they can hang around the neck.
Plug (custom) - custom-moulded ear plugs, made from a mould of the person’s ear.
Plug (detectable) - a metal detectable ear plug so classed as ‘food safe’. Stops it appearing in people’s dinner.
Plug (music) - like the muffs, a plug which has Bluetooth for music playback.
More advice and guidance on specific areas of hearing protection at work
As I have spent over 30 years working in workplace noise safety, I’ve identified some of the common issues and questions which come up with hearing protection and put together short articles giving advice and guidance on them.
