When Should You Wear Ear Protection?

The world around you is full of sounds and noises. The fluctuations in these sounds can vary widely in both duration and volume. While this is a part of life it is important to be aware that exposure to excessive sounds can have an adverse effect on your hearing. In fact, exposure to sounds above 85 decibels for a prolonged period of time could result in damage to your ears and ability to hear.

The good news is however that this is completely avoidable. If you are exposed to loud sounds, then you can protect yourself by wearing ear protection.

What Is Ear Protection?

Ear protection is worn in or over the ears to help reduce the sounds around you to bring them down to safer volumes. Ear protection can come in the following forms:

• Earplugs, which are inserted into the ear canal.
• Semi insert earplugs, these are two earplugs held over the ends of the ear canal by a headband.
• Earmuffs, which are akin to over-the-head headphones and sit over the ear.

When Should You Wear Ear Protection?

Below is a list of some scenarios in which you might benefit from wearing ear protection.

At concerts or live music venues, you can expect the volume to be around 110-120 decibels (dBs). This is clearly above the safety threshold and if experienced for prolonged periods of time could have serious consequences for your hearing. This is also applicable if you play live music or perform in such environments. Wearing some ear protection can help bring the sounds down to safer levels, yet still, allow you to enjoy the music around you.

Depending on your job role you may benefit from hearing protection in the workplace. Common working environments that require hearing protection include construction sites and roles that require the operation of heavy and loud machinery. In fact, it may well be a stipulation of your terms of employment that you wear appropriate safety gear, which includes ear protection.

It is not only in the workplace that you should protect your ears against tools and machinery. Whether a DIY expert or novice around the house you may need to wear ear protection when undertaking your next project. Many power tools will exceed the 85dBs threshold, such as drills, chain saws and sanders so be mindful of your safety and invest in some ear protection.

It is also important to note that power tools are not the only home appliance that can exceed the safety threshold in terms of their volume output. Your lawnmower is another common culprit that could affect your hearing over time and, as such, it is always good practice to wear hearing protection when cutting your grass.

The above are a few common examples of situations in everyday life that could require the use of hearing protection. Ultimately however the key takeaway is that if you are exposed to sounds above 85 decibels for a prolonged period of time you should be taking steps to protect your ears. If you need further advice regarding the types of protection or safe volume levels contact your audiologist, who will be happy to help.