Hearing Protection, Ear Plugs & Ear Defenders 

Choose the right hearing protection from our wide range of ear defenders, hard hat ear muffs or helmet-mounted ear defenders, un-corded, corded disposable ear plugs, re-usable ear plugs alongside with earplugs dispensers, sound meters or ear defenders with built in communication systems. By law an employer must assess and identify measures to eliminate or reduce risks from exposure to noise so that employees’ hearing is protected. The SNR value can be used to compare the level of noise attenuation offered by different hearing protectors.

Our Hearing Protection Range

Sound Levels/ Noise Meters - Part of your risk assessment should involve understanding the level of noise within your work environment. Sound measuring systems can be used to help employers/employees select the appropriate type of hearing protective equipment for use in areas of the workplace.
Earplugs Dispensers - An ideal solution for where hearing protection is required all the time at a fixed location within the workplace.
Disposable Ear Plugs uncorded or corded made from expandable slow recovery foam that helps provide the best combination of comfort and protection for most users. Typically foam plugs are rolled down prior to insertion where the foam plug expands to provide a snug and secure comfortable fit.
Re-usable Moulded Ear Plugs made from flexible materials that are preformed to fit the ear canal. These reusable ear plugs are comfortable, hygienic and economical. Hygienic carrying case made available with some products.
Detectable Ear Plugs available to buy in either a foam or a moulded finish. The ear plug is fitted with a choice of detectable components (steel ball bearing or a non-ferrous filter) finished with a visible non food blue detectable cord. Hygienic carrying case made available with some products.
Banded Semi-Aural Ear Plugs can be finished in either a foam or moulded tip. Ideal for intermittent use as they are quick to put on and take off as well as being easy to store around the neck. They provide less protection than either plugs or ear muffs and are not usually recommended for continuous long-term wearing.
Ear Muffs - Ear muffs have rigid cups with soft plastic cushions that seal around the ears to block out noise. The cushions are foam filled which are seen to be lightweight and durable.

What is SNR?

SNR is a Single Number Rating system. To determine acoustic pressure on your ears, you subtract the SNR value from the average noise level measured. For example:

The noise level measures an average of 100 dB.

You are wearing ear protection with an SNR of 25.

Thus, the acoustic pressure on your ears is on average 100 – 25 = 75 dB.

The higher the SNR, the higher the level of noise attenuation provided by the hearing protection. The level at which employers must provide hearing protection is now 85 decibels (daily or weekly average exposure) and the level at which employers must assess the risk to workers’ health and provide them information and training is now 80 decibels. Target noise in the ear = 75dB to 80dB.

European Standards relevant to Hearing Protection

EN 352-1 applies to ear muffs
EN 352-2 applies to earplugs
EN 352-3 is intended for variants, for example ear muffs that are attached to a helmet
EN 352-4 lists the requirements for level dependent ear muffs
EN 352-5 relates to active noise reduction ear muffs
EN 352-6 is restricted to hearing protectors with an electrical audio input