Hearing Protectors

Description

Hearing protectors are devices that are designed to protect a person’s hearing ability. These can be inserted into a person’s ear canal, or can cover the entrance of a person’s ear canal, or can cover a person’s entire ear. Hearing protectors are developed for preventing Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). They protect the ears from high decibel levels. An earplug is a type of hearing protector designed for protecting a person’s hearing from loud sounds or the intrusion of dust, foreign bodies, water or excessive dust. Generally, earplugs are made up of moldable silicone or wax. An earmuff is also a hearing protector but consists of a metal or thermoplastic head-band, which fits over the head. There are two kinds of earmuffs, namely, acoustic earmuffs (ear defenders) and thermal earmuffs.

Types

Hearing protectors are classified as follows:

• Earmuffs
• Helmet mounted ear defenders
• Arc spray ear defenders
• Lightweight ear defenders
• Headset ear defenders
• Earplugs
  • Flanged earplugs
  • Silicone earplugs
  • Foam earplugs

Specifications

The specification for hearing protectors include:

• Battery
• Microphone
• Indicator
• Volume control

Advantages

Some of the advantages of using hearing protectors are:

• Weak sounds are amplified, thus hearing is enhanced
• Blocks harmful noise of high frequency, but enables the passage of harmless sounds
• Sudden noise impulses are shut out instantaneously

Applications

Hearing protectors have a broad range of applications:

• Are worn during water sports and swimming
• Are used to prevent tinnitus and hearing loss among other ailments
• Are worn by musicians playing loud music
• Are used by people while traveling in airplanes
• Acoustic earmuffs are used by people working on construction sites
• Thermal earmuffs are used in cold environments for keeping a person’s ears warm