Hearing protection in noise safety

One of the main outcomes of most noise assessments is the use of hearing protection in the workplace, but it is also one of main areas employers tend to get a little wrong. As well as it not being used, the other common issue is actually too much protection - the hearing protection available is simply too strong for the noise risks present and that leads to other unintended consequences and risks.

This page gives employers a little advice on hearing protection, where it is needed, the issues with too much protection, how to choose the right protection, and common pitfalls to avoid.

Choosing the right hearing protection

There is a simple way to assess hearing protection is that is by using what is called the SNR figure for it.

SNR should be on all hearing protection and it is the Single Number Rating - how many decibels it knocks off the noise levels.

The lowest SNRs on the market are 14 dB - the E-A-R Ultrafit 14, and go up to 39dB at the top end.

To be clear, very very few workplaces in the UK need hearing protection at that upper end. In 30 years of noise assessments I think I have never come across a place which needed hearing protection which was so strong.

Using SNR to decide on appropriate hearing protection

You need the noise level for the job in question. Done properly you need the average dB(C) for this, not the peak dB(C) and not the average dB(A) - that’s the one compared to the 80 and 85 dB(A) limits.

If you don’t have the average dB(C) then the average dB(A) will be pretty close though.

You take the noise level, subtract the SNR of the hearing protection, then add 4dB back on to give some wriggle room for slightly incorrect usage, and the result is the noise level the wearer will experience under the hearing protection.

As an example: A job has an average noise level of 94dB, and the hearing protection has an SNR of 29dB. You do 94 minus 29, to get 65, then you add 4 back on, so a result of 69dB, that’s what people actually hear.

The target range to aim for under hearing protection

The ideal range is about 70 to 78dB under the protector.

OK is about 65 to 69 or 79dB under the protection.

Too strong is 64dB and below, or too weak is 80dB and above.

This is not written in stone and personally I think anything in the 65 to 78dB range is good, but the HSE usually look at 70dB as the lower ideal figure. My thinking is that most offices are 65 to 70dB so getting to that level means the people on the shop floor are at about the same noise level as your office staff, which seems reasonable enough.

You don’t want to go below 64dB though.

Why does too much protection waste money?

If your hearing protection is too strong people will usually wear it poorly to let more noise through, or not wear it at all.

That means the employer is spending money on ear muffs or disposable ear plugs but getting very little in return for it - their staff are still at risk. Money is just being flushed away for no gain.

Common issues with hearing protection

Over-protecting, it is too strong

This can seem a little mad, how can there be too much protection from a noise risk? It’s one of those things which can make non-safety people sigh in frustration as on the surface it makes no sense.

Too much protection can increase noise risks and also mean an employer is basically throwing money away for no benefit. Hearing protection should be ‘just right’ for the noise risk, meaning strong enough but not so strong it becomes an issue in itself.

Issues with over-protection

  • People remove the hearing protection to talk to other people, causing an increase in risk.

  • People put the hearing protection on poorly to allow more noise through as they find it isolating. E.g. plugs barely in or ear muffs place slightly off the ear canal.

  • Experienced staff often use how a machine sounds to tell them it is working correctly. Too much protection stops this so they take it off or wear it poorly.

  • They cannot hear other risks in the workplace such as alarms or vehicles like forklifts, so end up with more risk.

Using noise-cancelling headphones as hearing protection

I did a noise assessment in December 2024 which summed the issue up nicely of an employer trying to do the right thing but getting it wrong. They had a noise risk so had got everyone noise-cancelling headphones as hearing protection so the staff could listen to music while they worked.

The issue is that noise cancelling headphones are not hearing protection - they are not tested as such, carry no EN352 certification, no SNR figure, etc. This means the employer has been left at risk of being liable for hearing damage as they have not met the requirement to provide hearing protection at work.

There are hearing protectors with bluetooth functionality and as these are hearing protection first and foremost they are fine, but not normal headphones or ear buds.

Issuing hearing protection, telling people to wear it, then leaving it up to them.

This is very common and easy to understand from the employer’s perspective. They issued the hearing protection, told people where to use it, and have signs up saying it must be used. From then on the approach is often ‘we’ve told them, what else can we do?’

The law is clear on this one. Once it is issued and people told when and where to use it, the employer also has to monitor usage, ensure it is being used properly and take enforcement steps where needed. That can include disciplinary procedures up to and including dismissal in some circumstances.

(What do I mean by ‘some circumstances’? For example, a site is all over 85 dB(A) so hearing is needed. Someone will not wear it, or say they cannot wear it for a medical reason, and there are no alternative jobs available outside the noise risk. The employer still cannot allow them to work while being at risk so the only option is termination of employment.)

Allowing hearing protection to not be used by people with hearing aids

Again, a common error. Just because someone has a hearing aid doesn’t mean their hearing cannot be damaged further by noise, indeed it may be more important that they wear protection than people with ‘normal’ hearing. If someone already has weak hearing then a small reduction due to noise could be catastrophic for them and stop them hearing all speech, whereas the same proportional drop for someone with good hearing could be quite negligible.

Forklift drivers having an exemption from a need to wear hearing protection

There is no exemption for forklift drivers if they are in a high noise area and if their exposures are over 85 dB(A), they still must wear it. Noise will still damage their hearing and eventually they may not hear the screams of the people they run over. It is important the hearing protection does not over-protect, but it is still needed. The idea of forklift drivers being exempt is a common myth.