Good afternoon to all I.D.I. employees,

 

I attended a safety seminar last week on hearing protection.  The keynote speaker on hearing protection was a woman named Theresa Schulz from Honeywell Safety Products.  Theresa is a Past President and active member of the National Hearing Conservation Association and has many other credentials including a PhD.  Theresa was very informative on hearing protection and she knows her stuff.  Below is some helpful information on hearing protection that was provided.

 

Foam earplugs offer more protection from noise than earmuffs?  Answer = TRUE…
...with one qualifier: properly fit roll-down foam earplugs offer more protection than the typical earmuff. Bigger is not necessarily better in terms of blocking noise in the ear; a well-fit earplug seals the ear canal from hazardous noise, and is less likely to allow “acoustical leaks” than an earmuff. This is evident in the higher attenuation values of foam earplugs. But to achieve that good fit, a user must follow basic rules for proper insertion:

1) Roll the earplug into a small crease-free cylinder
2) Reach over the head to pull up and back on the ear to straighten the ear canal
3) Insert the earplug deeply
In fact, a poorly fit foam earplug actually offers little or no protection from noise.

Below is a video to demonstrate the correct way to insert foam earplugs.

 

 

The following is more information that was provided:

 

It's not safe to put anything smaller than your elbow in your ear?  Answer = FALSE!
You may have heard it from mom, but she may have had hearing loss! It is true we should not try to clean inside our own ears by inserting cotton swabs, erasers, pen caps, paper clips or the like. But when it comes to protection from hazardous noise, earplugs are designed to be a safe distance from the sensitive eardrum, even when deeply inserted. Mom would be proud of you for protecting your hearing!

If you have any questions, please contact our Safety Director, Safety Pete at pgraham@4idi.com.

 

Have a Safe Day!