Posted By Neil Wakefield I am trying to find an alternative to the E.A.R ultrafit 20 as our staff find them to be uncomfortable after long periods of use (sore ear overnight). Noise levels in this operating area are around 86dB and I am struggling to find an alternative. Can anyone make a recommendation? We are working on a reduction strategy and are due to carry out some badge monitoring which may show Time Weighted Average noise levels to be below 85dB, but in the meantime protection is required. Thanks Neil

Posted By Neil Wakefield The ultrafit 12 is the same design as the 20, I need to find an alternative product.

Posted By Smurfer Have you tried the EAR caps (on a blue plastic band). I don't like them myself as any rubbing of the band on the person is transmitted into the ear. However I believe the SNR is quite low and because they 'sit' in the entrance to the ear canal rather than inside the ear canal they may be more likely to be accepted by your workforce. I too have the same issues regarding specifying ear protection for exposures close to the upper EAV. It would've been easier if the HSE had settled on recommending 60dB as a lower 'attenuated' level rather than 70dB... Ho hum....

Posted By John Cook I was advised by a reputable company that laser-lite disposable foam ear plugs are good for all round use. SNR is given as 35db. Currently used in an environment with levels above 85dba with no adverse comments from users. Also added advantage that they are brightly coloured making checking of use really easy.

Posted By Nicholas Morris Agree with Pauls comments that most ear protection is too good for noise levels 80-90 dB(A). If so, what do we do?

Posted By John Cook Paul the main issue with using the snr number is that it doesn't look at what bandwidth the significant noise hazard is being is being generated at. The method I prefer is to use a full frequency bandwidth analysis and then look at the attenuation provided by the protection at the various bandwidths. There is also the problem with this type, indeed any type, of hearing protection is that it is not always fitted/ used properly and therefore does not provide the protection specified and the operator may actually experience higher noise levels at the ear than is supposed. My experience and also advice given by our consultant is that in general terms this type of ear protection should ideally be re-fitted around every hour (not fit new ones, just re-fit) this is due to the fact that the act of talking/ yawning etc can and does move the protector once again reducing its effectiveness. John

Posted By Paul Leadbetter SNR = Single Number Rating John I am an occupational hygienist and, like you, I always use octave band data to calculate the attenuation of hearing protection given the particular characteristics of the noise in question. With regard to real-world protection, I still use the mean minus two standard deviations to calculate the attenuation at each octave band. The HSE used to recommend the mean minus one standard deviation but now supplement that by recommending subtracting a further 4dB(A) from the final figure. On the occasions that I have compared my method with the HSE method, the results are very similar. Paul

Posted By Danny Swygart SNR = Standard Noise Reduction

Posted By Bill Parkinson Neil You may find that levels are below 85 but if they are above 80 then still need to make available and encourage people to wear it. Have you tried contacting some of the noise monitoring equipment suppliers (try castle group) as they may be able to point you in the right direction. SNR stands for Single Number Rating (as defined in the Noise at Work Regs). Don't forget the other level of 87 dB(A) after attenuation!! Bill