Hearing Protection

Protecting hearing helps to reduce the likelihood of tinnitus, deafness, temporary hearing loss and related illnesses.
Earplugs and ear defenders (earmuffs) are the two main types of hearing protection. Before ear protection is used it is a legal requirement for employers to initially carry out a risk assessment and to take action to reduce the exposure to workplace noise to acceptable low levels, ideally where the use of ear protection is not needed. "If exposure is below lower action values, the risk is low, and it is likely no action is required ¯ but if there are simple, inexpensive practical steps that would reduce risks further, you should consider implementing them." (‘Noise at work: A brief guide to controlling the risks', HSE, 2012, https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg362.pdf)