Can someone use noise cancelling headphones in place of hearing protection in a high noise environment? For most headphones, no, they cannot be used as hearing protection. An exception is the Apple AirPods Pro 3 which do have an EN 352 certified SNR.

If you have ever used a hand dryer in a toilet and thought that it sounds very loud then you are likely correct. These are some noise levels from various hand dryers.

Hearing protection for use at work must be certified to EN 352. This is a dive into what EN 352 means, what the various revisions of it are and which ones are now defunct, and which are the current standards for hearing protection.

Part of a noise assessment is to identify who needs to be included in a hearing testing programme, and the HSE specify the result categories to be used. This is what the categories are and what they mean.

It is common to hear someone claim a medical exemption from the need to wear hearing protection at work, sometimes backed up with a note or letter from a GP, or sometimes self-claimed, but are medical exemptions from the need to wear hearing protection possible?

The Noise Regs say that employers should choose tools or equipment which have the lowest noise levels, and the HSE expand on this by saying employers should have a Buy Quiet purchasing policy, but what does this mean?

Most hearing protection does have a set life expectancy and will ‘expire’ after a set time, even if not in use. A typical shelf life for hearing protection is five years, or lower for more budget options. This is how long hearing protection can last for before needing to be replaced.

A noise assessment does need to be reviewed or repeated from scratch sometimes, but you don’t always have to get someone in to do it. This is guidance on when to review a noise assessment or get a new noise assessment done.

In a noise assessment, it is common to hear a comment along the lines of ‘we’ve given them hearing protection and told them to wear it, so what else can we do’, but that is not the end of the employer’s obligations for hearing protection.

Noise survey vs noise assessment vs noise risk assessment - what do they all mean, what is the difference between them and what do employers need to have in place?

In a noise assessment you will see a few different types of noise data presented and it can seem a little baffling. Noise is measured in decibels, but not all decibels are the same, that would be far too easy.

A common recommendation from Occupational Health Physicians is ‘recommend wear double hearing protection’. What they are saying is that the person concerned wears two sets of hearing protection but this often has no link to the findings of the noise assessment.

A need for hearing protection is a common outcome of a noise assessment or a noise survey but how do you choose the right hearing protection for your noise risk, especially as 'strongest is best' is usually not the case.

The UK’s Noise Regs require anyone who is regularly exposed at work to a daily noise level of 85 dB(A) or above, or who meets the 137 dB(C) peak limit or above, to be included in a hearing health surveillance programme, or as it often more colloquially called, hearing testing. Getting the right people involved is important.

Disposable ear plugs have a low per-pair cost but that cost can soon mount up and it is tempting for employers to limit how many pairs people can use in a given period. This is not a good approach, cannot be done and is poor for safety.

Now that is a good question, the Noise Regs require an employer to do a noise assessment if they think there is a noise risk, but how do you know you have a noise risk without doing a noise assessment…?

Manufacturers of tools and equipment have an obligation to make data available on the expected noise level for their product. The HSE latch on to this and list this as a source of information which employers could use in deciding if there is a noise risk in the workplace?

Sometimes the best way to appreciate how too much noise can damage hearing is to listen to the effects. This goes through various levels of hearing loss due to noise, applying filters to a piece of music to show how it impacts on clarity as well as volume.

Loop have emerged recently as one of the new entrants in the hearing protection market, with a lot of their marketing focused on social media. There are a lot of these types of company popping up these days but in Loop’s case their claims for their ear plugs are intriguing, so I decided to give a couple of styles a try.

When it comes to noise assessments, managing noise risks and issuing hearing protection, employers need to monitor and enforce usage but also importantly have a system in place for checking the hearing protection is still suitable for use and is not deteriorating or damaged.