Choosing the Right Hearing Protector
Hearing protectors are adapted to fit the needs of each employee
Choosing the right hearing protectors is vital
A good hearing protector must allow interpersonal communication and let workers be aware of their environment while they are protected. Cotral Lab helps you choose the best custom hearing protector to meet the needs of each individual.
Having the right hearing protectors allows you to avoid two issues
Overprotection: With an attenuation that’s too high, it's impossible to communicate. The employee is isolated from the environment, and is not aware of alarms and other warning signals.
Hearing Loss: With an attenuation level that's too low, the worker is not adequately protected and is at an increased risk of hearing loss.
Evaluate your noise related risk
Why do you need a diagnosis?
- Know the dB level in each area of your plant
- Understand the pros and cons of the current hearing protectors
- Understand how satisfied your employees are in regard to their current earplugs. Do they wear them 100 percent of the time? If not, why not?
- Attenuation measurements have been performed according to the Australian National Standard AS/NZ S1270:2002 by Michael & Associates. M&A is accredited by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) National Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) for tests performed according to AS/NZ S1270:2002, ANSI S3.19-1974, ANSI S12.6-2008, ANSI S12-2010 and EN352 parts 1-8. These accreditation criteria encompass the requirements of international standard ISO 17025
- Make your employees accountable for their own level of protection
- Effectively protect your workforce with the right level of hearing protection for every worker in each area of the plant
The right custom hearing protectors for each individual
Developed by HearingProTech®, SAPAN® allows employers to make the right choice for the perfect hearing protection device.
The following information is required for each employee:
- Level of noise the employee is exposed to
- The extent to which the employee needs to communicate while wearing protection
- Any existing hearing loss
- Any other PPE worn (safety glasses, for example)
SAPAN® selects the best custom hearing protectors, based on the specific requirements and working conditions of each individual, taking into consideration all relevant standards and legislation.
Your Hearing Protection Program: You and Cotral Lab together!
Cotral Lab will guide you to success
You can rely on Cotral Lab's professionalism at every step of your Hearing Protection Program implementation, from the ear impressions to the adoption of the best custom hearing protectors by your team, followed by the testing for effectiveness, and through to the total satisfaction of your workforce.
We'll send a satisfaction survey to you a few weeks after the program is implemented. Improving our process and making sure workers completely adopt the solution, with the aim of ensuring our customers' full satisfaction, is a top priority at Cotral Lab.
Your questions about choosing the right hearing protection
If you have the Filter Box, by choosing the SAPAN recommendations, you will be able to autonomously manipulate the attenuation of the protective hearing device by changing the filters. A product information leaflet is provided with your Filter Box.
You can also contact Customer Service or your Prevention Technician, who will adjust the attenuation by changing the filter according to SAPAN recommendations.
Wearing the hearing protection device is an important factor that guarantees its efficiency. The best Individual Noise Protector is the one that is worn 100% of the time. If the device is not worn, even for a short while, its efficiency reduces rapidly: If the device is not worn for 2 minutes in an 8-hour working day at 80 dB(A) its protection efficiency is reduced by 25%. Here are the conditions that must be met to ensure that your employees wear their hearing protection devices 100% of the time spent in a noisy environment:
- Using a comfortable hearing protection device
- Adapting the device to each person’s hearing difficulty
- Being aware of the risks related to noise
- Proposing a hearing protection device that is easy to use and clean
To replace a lost hearing protection device, get in touch with Customer Service at www.cotral.com. Click on "Your online assistance", then on "Request for assistance". While you wait for your new molded plugs, you must provide other Individual Noise Protectors to your employees, such as disposable ear plugs, fixed hold earplugs, or muffs.
He has custom-fit molded plugs. He is thus the only one who can use it.
The first thing to do after distributing the hearing protection devices to your employees is to remind them of the importance of wearing them gradually. Even when the molded ear plugs fit perfectly in the ears, they are still not a part of the body. Wearing them can be troublesome for your employees. It is therefore recommended to wear them regularly, but little by little: 2 hours after the end of their shift for the first few days, and then gradually increase the duration. It takes two to three weeks to fully adapt.
When wearing the device for the first time, your employees could experience the following effects:
- An internal resonance
- The feeling of being in a soundproof box
- An irritation in the ears
- The impression that voices are too loud or the noise of machines is too low
Such sensations are perfectly normal. They do not last very long and disappear with time if your employees follow the adaptation recommendations.