Conduct a successful hearing protection trial

Start a trial with uvex hearing protection

What’s the best way to evaluate the performance of your hearing protection? That’s easy – a product trial. It’s the process of field-testing different models of hearing protection, either from a single source or from several manufacturers, in order to identify the best earplug or earmuff for a particular job - looking at things like SNR, comfort, hygiene and sizing specific to your workers.

What are the benefits of trialling hearing protection?

Reduced accident rates, downtime and medical costs

Increased employee motivation and wearer acceptance

Improved risk awareness and increased transparency

Protecting your hearing is imperative but choosing the right hearing protection can be difficult. There are several things your protection should be doing for you, including:

Being able to provide adequate protection
Being compatible with other required personal protective equipment or communication devices
Being comfortable and convenient enough to be accepted and worn

1. Find out what level of protection you need

What is the hazardous noise level in your workplace? Knowing this is your first step in finding the hearing protection that will be able to provide adequate protection. Employers must provide hearing protection and hearing protection zones if the noise level at the workplace exceeds 85 dB(A) (daily or weekly average exposure) and must assess the risk to workers' health and provide them with information and training at 80 dB(A).

Though louder environments demand higher levels of noise reduction, make sure not to reduce sound too much, or 'overprotect' your ears. Overprotection can be detrimental to safety by causing you to be less aware of your surroundings; you could accidentally miss the sound of a warning alarm or a moving vehicle coming your way. This could also prompt you to remove your hearing protection to hear someone speak, thereby exposing you to hazardous noise.

2. Make sure protection is right for the application

Depending on your application, you may need hearing protection that accommodates other specific job requirements. Many food manufacturing facilities require blue or hi-vis hearing protection to contrast against most food products and come with an interior metal detectable component to help prevent food contamination. You also need to take your other items of PPE into consideration such as safety helmets or safety eyewear. These could interfere with each other and obstruct the tight seal of earmuffs.

All PPE must work seamlessly together to help you stay protected. If your earplugs must be put in and taken out several times a day and/or you don’t have time to wash your hands, avoid using earplugs that must be rolled down with your fingers before insertion. Earmuffs can be bulky and may not be the best option when working in a confined area.

3. Ensure proper fit

The effectiveness of your hearing protection is greatly reduced if it does not fit properly, is worn only periodically, or is removed even for a short period of time – which all comes down to finding protection that offers all-day comfort, convenience, and compliance.

Comfort – Not all earplugs are created equal. Ill-fitting hearing protection, such as too-large earplugs or straight-pinned guides, can be irritating and sometimes painful, prompting you to take out and reinsert to alleviate pressure. Look for earplug styles that are able to best match your ear canal size.

Convenience – Finding hearing protection that matches your application, is readily available, and is easy to use can make all the difference in helping you stay comfortable and compliant. Earplugs with a corded or guided option help keep protection readily available and easy to insert. Additional earplug accessory options, such as a wall-mounted dispenser, help make earplugs easily accessible to workers.

Compliance – Hearing protection that stays in place for the full duration of your time in an at-risk environment per HSE’s guidelines means you’re compliant. Not only is it beneficial to your company, but you and your workers’ hearing will stay protected, helping keep your hearing and overall health intact.

What can you expect during the trial process?

We're ready to roll up our sleeves and do the heavy lifting alongside you to help solve your safety problems.

First, we'll learn about the unique safety challenges you face in your industry.

Once we understand what you need and how we can help, we'll make recommendations from our wide selection of PPE.

Next, we'll work together to run a trial at your jobsite with recommended products to see if they're the right fit for you.

Finally, once we've found your uvex solution, we'll help you with the next steps of getting product in hand to implement with your team.

Does your company...

✔ have a dedicated contact for our uvex specialist to work with to collect feedback during the trial?
✔ commit to providing feedback (positive or negative) during and after the trial?

Sound like a match? Great! Let’s get a trial going. Simply fill out our quick form and we will be in touch with you shortly:

uvex can help

Our team are available to answer any questions you have about the correct selection of hearing protection. We can conduct product trials and site audits virtually to suit the needs of your business. Simply call, email or video chat your uvex specialist who can recommend and implement high performance PPE solutions specifically chosen for your company's needs.

Hearing protection solutions

uvex hi-com disposable earplugs

uvex com4-fit disposable earplugs

uvex xact-fit planet disposable earplugs

uvex x-fit detec disposable earplugs

What are harmful noise levels?

It's essential to protect our ears from harmful levels of noise, but how do we know what is a “harmful level”? The maximum period of time you should be exposed to harmful noise without hearing protection can be surprising.

The real impact of hearing loss

There are wider consequences to hearing loss which are not always discussed due to the low profile hearing protection tends to receive. These can have a big impact on not only the individual and their quality of life but also their family.

Download our hearing protection guide

The appropriate form of hearing protection varies according to the wearer's ear and the area of application. This guide contains information regarding noise levels and hearing protection.