Rank: Forum user 
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Anyone know where I can source some disposable roll down ear plugs with an SNR of 14 (ish)?
Operatives have noise exposures just above the Lower Exposure Action Value (80dBA) following all reasonable adjustments (additional maintenance, re-siting, job rotation, etc) and an employee has requested disposable ear plugs. Most disposable roll down plugs I can find have SNR's around 22 which would over-protect. Can find molded plugs and banded caps with SNR of 14 but employee cannot get on with them.
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Rank: Super forum user 
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I have had to use banded ear caps. I am surprised yuor employees have not got on with them as they tend to be comfortable and easy to put on and off.
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Rank: Super forum user
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I think 3M do a plug that is designed to keep out noise but allow speech to be heard - might be a solution?
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Rank: Forum user
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Hi you can get ear pugs from E.A.R they are quite expensive but are supposed to attenuate at lower noise levels they are E.A.R Ultrafit 14 or E.A.RFLEX 14.
hope this helps
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Rank: Forum user
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I have the same issue, and have found it a struggle to convince management to fork out the extra on banded caps as they are more expensive than disposable plugs and this is mainly because they feel that staff will still treat them as disposable and end up wearing multiple sets per day. Without wanting to hi-jack the thread, any suggestions to combat this would be appreciated, as I feel I am banging my head against a wall when met with the over-protection is better than no protection argument (especially when you know it's down to cost).
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Rank: Super forum user
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Redders wrote:Can find molded plugs and banded caps with SNR of 14 but employee cannot get on with them. What issues is the employee reporting? If all employees in this area were to ask for them how many are we talking about? Regards
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Rank: Super forum user
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TDS1984 wrote:I have the same issue, and have found it a struggle to convince management to fork out the extra on banded caps as they are more expensive than disposable plugs and this is mainly because they feel that staff will still treat them as disposable and end up wearing multiple sets per day. If the staff are consulted, properly trained and then properly managed they will for the most part wear as they are trained and managed. Your responsibility is for providing advice and training etc., and the responsibility for management rests with the management. If on the other hand the management have decided that their staff must wear the disposable hearing protection then again it's for them to manage that. Regards
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Rank: Super forum user
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We had a similar issue and the only ones we found at the time were the 3M Ultrafit 14 ones, we bought some to trial and then got one of our sister companies (a PPE supplier) to stock them for us.
Obviously if you find something different than the above, let us know on here as we like to offer a choice to our employees and with these being a lower SNR it hasn't been possible.
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Rank: Forum user
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We currently have on trial uvex Xact-Fit Ear Plugs which seem to be pretty good.
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Rank: Super forum user
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meady wrote:We currently have on trial uvex Xact-Fit Ear Plugs which seem to be pretty good.
Are they with an SNR of 14?
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Does anyone actual believe these SNRs are valid in real life?
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Rank: Super forum user
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walker wrote:Does anyone actual believe these SNRs are valid in real life? Only in ideal conditions. Conditions vary and so the SNR's vary but of course the manufacturers only quote the ideal. Regards
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Rank: Super forum user
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westonphil wrote:Only in ideal conditions.
So thats a no then?
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Rank: Forum user
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Redders wrote:Anyone know where I can source some disposable roll down ear plugs with an SNR of 14 (ish)?
Most disposable roll down plugs I can find have SNR's around 22 which would over-protect. I'm going to be a bit daft with this question....but does it really matter that the SNR=22 is an over-protection? This is better than no protection and also mitigate the likely scenario that they're not worn properly. Unless of course, over-protection is going to cause another hazard eg FLT operator not being able to hear properly? Have I just answered my own question!!!
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Rank: Super forum user
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Rees21880 wrote:Redders wrote:Anyone know where I can source some disposable roll down ear plugs with an SNR of 14 (ish)?
Most disposable roll down plugs I can find have SNR's around 22 which would over-protect. I'm going to be a bit daft with this question....but does it really matter that the SNR=22 is an over-protection? This is better than no protection and also mitigate the likely scenario that they're not worn properly. Unless of course, over-protection is going to cause another hazard eg FLT operator not being able to hear properly? Have I just answered my own question!!! Yep, you can go too far the other way. We have one site that is ear protection within the building, occasionally on any shutdown (mainly for Christmas break) we have to remove the compulsory wearing of protection as it was found the first time that we couldn't hear a FLT moving. The work that created the noise had ceased the previous day.
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Rank: Super forum user
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walker wrote:Does anyone actual believe these SNRs are valid in real life? And before i forget, agree with the sentiment from Walker, too many things to rely on, from the manufacturer all the way through to people actually using them etc
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Rank:: Super forum user
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Just an extra point to note, SNR is only one of three methods of measuring the attenuation or effectiveness of hearing protection in the workplace, and is actually the least accurate in doing so.
The other two being HML and octave band analysis.
Whilst any hearing protection may have an SNR, the reduction of the actual noise which is generated in your workplace will depend on how effective that protection is in reducing the noise at each frequency and will not give 14dB of protection across the board.
It is possible to have PPE with a 30dB SNR only providing ~10bD of attenuation at for example low or high frequencies, if your noise source it generating most of the noise in these frequency ranges you may still be over-exposing your workers.
Not really relevanthere, but just a point to note :-)
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Rank: Super forum user
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I wish to offer my take on the situation - having worked in noisy environments in the past too.
Perhaps, first of all, you could try extra-ordinary measures to stop the noise at source. Nobody has asked and you haven't told us, what this noise is being generated from - 'we' might have better answers to give you.
I don't believe in pussy footing with management, tell them straight, the new sentencing guidelines have now come into effect, so breaches of safety law will attract much greater fines, especially to companies that do the bare minimum to protect their workers. UK law is fantastic, it puts the emphasis on being better than we can be (the spirit of the law). So having a certain PPE (ear plugs) is overkill - big deal, it's still the wrong way of looking at the problem. PPE is the absolute last thing you should be considering.
If you think I'm being daft, I don't care, I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take anymore.
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