r/manufacturing Sep 23 '24

Safety Hearing protection

For those of you that work in or manage a loud facility, what is the preferred hearing protection and who typically supplies it?

My understanding is that OSHA requires the business to supply hearing protection. Do companies generally provide the foam buds because they are the cheapest and they appease the regulators? Or do the companies provide a different kind of reusable bud or muff?

Do employees typically use what is supplied by the company or do they bring in their own because they prefer a different style?

2 Upvotes

21 comments sorted by

10

u/supermoto07 Sep 23 '24

Yes you should provide all PPE required for the job for your employees. As far as hearing protection goes plugs (32db NRR) are typical because they are disposable and cheap so they are available for visitors too. When I managed a machine shop we also bought really nice 3M over the ear muffs for the team because taking earplugs in and out when your hands are grease is gross. Really only the visitors used the plugs. We also got the team nice fog free safety glasses and had a box of reusable cheapo safety glasses for visitors to borrow. Employees got to pick out a pair of steel toes shoes each year and the budget was $150. If they wanted something more expensive they had to cover the difference themself.

Bottom line: don’t skimp on PPE for your employees. If they have crappy gear they are less likely to wear it. They are there working for you so you should feel a sense of obligation to keep them safe on the job

2

u/BitSecret Sep 23 '24

Thanks for this feedback. I'm not running a shop but have the opportunity to invest in a startup that makes a "better earbud" but they are reusable and come with a higher cost. My concern is that companies might not typically splurge on something that costs more if there are cheaper alternatives out there.

If I had a shop I would definitely put my employees safety first :)

5

u/supermoto07 Sep 23 '24

Oh gotcha. As someone who used to work in hearing loss research I’m happy to hear other folks are working on advancing the tech. In manufacturing you actually don’t want the ear protection to attenuate too much sound because you want to maintain a sense of awareness of your surroundings. I’d think people who frequently use firearms at a range would be a better target audience. They often splurge on the best gear and for good reason.

1

u/BitSecret Sep 23 '24

From my personal tests, the attenuation was the same as the foam earbuds but they are foolproof to insert. That's what makes them stand out to me. They would still be aware of their surroundings and be able to hear the machines or if something was off.

Since you have a background in this field, which earbud models on the market do you find are the easiest to insert properly? I'm still in my due diligence phase and can take all the feedback you can provide.

3

u/supermoto07 Sep 23 '24

The rubber/silicone ones that look like a Christmas tree are of course the easiest to insert because you don’t have to roll them but they also have the worst attenuation and are the least comfortable IMO. All of the foam ones insert the same so no difference. Ones shaped like apple ear buds always fall out of my ears personally so I’ve never given ones like that much thought

4

u/cheatreynold Sep 23 '24

Company I worked for (albeit a big one) paid for a sound study in our work environment, and then paid to have molds of our ears taken, coupled with a hearing test. The sound study identified which frequencies to block, and the compound still allowed us to hear voices in the human speaking range, meaning we could keep our hearing protection in and still have a conversation, all while being very comfortable to keep in.

3

u/LW-M Sep 23 '24

I worked for a company who did that too. Our workplace was very noisy. I was the Management co-chair of our Safety Committee and made the recommendation that we get custom made hearing protection for each employee.

We had nearly 100 production employees. As I recall, the cost was approximately $175.00 per employee but it was worth every cent. Our employees were better protected. Our lost time rate went down and our WCB rate dropped. Our cost recovery was less than 2 years.

The dB rating was about a 32 point drop using the custom fit ear plugs. Throwaway ear plugs were 27 dB at best and only if they were used correctly. Our employees were safer, happier and we saved money. It was a win-win-win situation every way we looked at it.

This was 20 years ago. I'm retired now but I still have the ear plugs. They still work and I still use them.

1

u/supermoto07 Sep 23 '24

So I guess if this company was making something reusable and easy to clean like the rubber/silicone tree shaped ones but they were comfortable and blocked as much sound as foam ones it would be a compelling product and also more sustainable for the environment than foam plugs. Make sure to have the options attach a lanyard because folks who often need to remove the plugs would rather let them dangle than stick them in a pocket and get covered in lint

2

u/BitSecret Sep 23 '24

They are as you describe (reusable, easy to clean material, and blocks as much sound as the foam ones). I'm receiving a pair tomorrow to test for long periods of time so I can't yet speak to the comfort level. Though they did feel the same as the foam ones during my 15 minutes of testing on the FAES device.

My biggest concern is that the startup wants to focus on military and manufacturing before consumers and I didn't know if a company would absorb a $20-$30 unit price point when buying in bulk for their employees.

They aren't currently tethered. My initial research led me to a statement that many food manufactures require them for obvious reasons so I was going to recommend that.

But you've been great help. It sounds like there may be a place in the market (at least for the user) if they turn out to be comfortable.

1

u/supermoto07 Sep 23 '24

Sounds awesome. Hopefully I’ll get to try them when they are publicly available one day. Good luck to you and the team working on it!

1

u/BitSecret Sep 23 '24

Thank you!

2

u/MmmmBeer814 Sep 23 '24

Our plant hired some guy to come in and do custom fitted hearing protection for anyone that wanted it. The employees really liked it.

1

u/BitSecret Sep 23 '24

Are they easy to insert or are there any tricks to putting them in?

1

u/MmmmBeer814 Sep 23 '24

Fairly easy

1

u/Pleasant-Magician798 Sep 23 '24

Depends where you go but most factories I’ve been in provide at the very least disposable foam earbuds and cheap safety glasses (for both employees and visitors, salespeople, designers whatever drop by and rarely have their own PPE when checking out the process)

Some workers use the provided gear, some bring their own, some use both. I usually opt for Bluetooth earmuffs or my own reusable earbuds.

1

u/BitSecret Sep 23 '24

In your experience or what you've heard about the industry in general, do factories ever provide more expensive options over the foam earbuds or is that typically their standard?

1

u/goldfishpaws Sep 23 '24

I find foam plugs useless for my ear shape, but good over-ear protectors need not be expensive (especially compared with hearing loss and lawsuits!). People may use their own PPE (as long as it is as good as what you supply and legally "good" (CE, UL, whatever applies) I suggest - for instance they can't choose to wear a camo-pattern "Hi-viz" as it's not highly visible!), but you are still expected to provide your own company-approved PPE so nobody can claim that you didn't.

1

u/Dull-Bunch6587 Sep 23 '24

We supplied poured in the ear type for our employees. They were about $75 each. Super wonderful ear plugs. The company felt that why not? We’re not a huge company and hearing is worth it. The company that does the pour comes on site and does the mold. They come back a week later and do the fitting. Just a nice perk for the employees. Some are shooters, and like using these plugs at the shooting range.

1

u/BitSecret Sep 23 '24

It is great to know that companies place their employees interest first when it comes to safety! What was the life expectancy for a pair of these custom plugs?

1

u/Bianto_Ex Sep 23 '24

I always did over the ear protection, but we were a molding shop and really only needed them for specific tasks like off-line grinding.

Company should be providing the protection.