An evaluation of the effectiveness of two different insert types of ear protection in preventing TTS in an industrial environment

Abstract

The effectiveness of a V-51R insert hearing protector in preventing daily temporary threshold shifts in one industrial environment where the employees were exposed to an A-weighted energy average noise level of 95.6 dB was investigated. For comparison purposes the E-A-R Plug Insert hearing protector was also evaluated. The results indicated that the employees who wore the V-51R design incurred significant daily shifts in their hearing levels as compared to their initial hearing exam and significantly greater shifts than the employees who wore the E-A-R Plugs. The greater than expected measured shifts in hearing levels over the past six years in the two departments investigated is attributed at least partially to the use of the V-51R design.