Hearing Protection Devices

Personal protective gear for hearing loss prevention, hearing safety, or for blocking any unwanted noise. Several types of hearing protection devices are available.

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For many kinds of noise problems, a general-purpose hearing protector is a great solution. These include:

• Ear plugs.
  

  Image courtesy of US Department of Labor
  These go directly in the ear canal. They are typically made of foam, wax, or silicone. Some ear plugs are individually molded for a custom fit.


• Over-the-ear ("ear muff" style) hearing protectors. These surround the outer ear and block out noise by acoustic isolation. Some also come with circuitry that lets you hear low-level sounds such as speech, or an active noise reduction system that electronically cancels out noise.

Image courtesy of US NIOSH


• A recent invention called ZEMs. These work by artificially extending the ear canal, drawing sound away from the ear itself and reducing noise evenly across all frequencies.

All of these devices are designed to reduce the noise reaching your ears, thereby protecting your ears from damage and preventing hearing loss. They are all similarly effective, so your choice of which type(s) to use can be based on your own needs and preferences. For extra noise reduction, you can double up and wear ear plugs and ear muffs at the same time.

They are recommended for a wide variety of settings and activities where hearing safety is an issue, including:

• Factories
• Construction work
• Hunting and shooting
• Riding motorcycles
• Concerts and nightclubs
• Playing a musical instrument

Even in situations where the sound does not reach levels that endanger your hearing, these devices are very handy if you just want to block an annoying noise, such as the sound of someone snoring when you're trying to sleep.

There are hearing protectors specially designed for children; find out how to help children use hearing protection effectively. There is even hearing protection specially designed for dogs!

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