Cotral Lab offers 3 possibilities for conducting efficiency tests: - Buy the software and equipment to conduct the tests on your own - Borrow the software and equipment to conduct the tests for a limited period - Choose the full service option provided by the Prevention Technician in your organization

Validate the effectiveness of your hearing protection devices (Fit Test)

Q: How does one know, with the passage of time, that hearing protection devices are still efficiently reducing noise?

Use the CAPA© to determine whether your employees' Individual Noise Protectors are still reducing noise effectively after years of use. It assesses whether the intra-ear hearing protection devices comply with manufacturer specifications and efficiently protect employees

With CAPA^©, you can validate each employee's unique level of hearing protection. Make sure your employees are protected while exposed to noise.

CAPA^© Fit Testing solution

With CAPA^©, you can quickly and easily check and endorse how effective your hearing protection devices are. This is also known as "fit testing".

(Developed by HearingProTech^®)

Why is it important to validate the effectiveness of your hearing protection devices?

Everyone's ear canal are a different shape and size. A one-size-fits-all earplug does not fit everyone the same. The only way to know if an ear plug is working effectively is by actually testing it with a fit-testing unit such as CAPA^©.

Your ears continue to grow, check the effectiveness of your hearing protection device testing

Your ears continue growing

A study by the Royal College of General Practitioners shows that our ears continue growing at a rate of around 0.22 mm per year. Therefore, the effectiveness of custom molded ear plugs could diminish after several years of use.

Attenuation differences do exist

Studies show significant differences between laboratories’ Noise Reduction Ratings (NRR) and in-situ test results for the same hearing protection device. Therefore, using CAPA^© to validate your earplugs’ effectiveness and real level of attenuation is essential. This applies to custom as well as re-usable and disposable earplugs.

How can you carry out a CAPA^© test?

You have two options:

Purchase the software and the tablet to perform the tests in full autonomy
Ask for a Hearing Protection Specialist to perform the tests at your facility

Results and compliance certificates are recorded in your own online secured-access area.

See relevant data from a survey by the French Institute for Scientific Research (INRS), provided by HearingProTech^®: Suitability of Commercially Available Systems for Individual Fit Tests of Hearing Protectors.

Example of CAPA results for hearing protection device fit testing

Custom hearing protection devices: Onsite Assessment and Validation

Schedule an onsite annual effectiveness assessment and validation at your facilities. Your local Hearing Protection Program Specialist will work with you to:

Determine the integrity of each hearing protector.
Ensure that the filter being used is consistent with the noise level in your facility.
Perform a CAPA^© Test to be sure that attenuation is consistent with certification.

If the assessment results in a “Non-Compliant” rating, hearing protection devices remanufacturing is provided at no charge to you under the Effi-6 Warranty, as follows:

Material defects: 6-year guarantee on materials

Device is not comfortable: 6-year guarantee on comfort

CAPA test failure: 6-year guarantee on attenuation

Your questions about the effectiveness of your hearing protection devices

How does one know, with the passage of time, that hearing protection devices are still efficiently reducing noise?

Use the CAPA^© to determine whether your employees' Individual Noise Protectors are still reducing noise effectively after years of use. It assesses whether the intra-ear hearing protection devices…

…comply with manufacturer specifications
…efficiently protect employees

Cotral Laboratory offers 3 possibilities for conducting efficiency tests:

Buy the software and equipment to conduct the tests on your own
Borrow the software and equipment to conduct the tests for a limited period
Choose the full service option provided by the Prevention Technician in your organization

Is it true that the size of the ears increases and the customized hearing protection devices should therefore be renewed every 5 years?

Several scientific studies have established that the external ear grows. The customized hearing protection device is generally a replica…

…of a part of the auditory canal
…of a part or even the totality of the earlobe
…of the ear hook, sometimes

No study has yet established that ear growth has an impact on the ear canal. As a result, Cotral Lab recommends testing customized hearing protection devices at the end of the guarantee period (6 years). If they are still efficient, your employees can continue using them to ensure their safety. However, if the test reveals that hearing protection devices do not reduce noise as much as they are supposed to, you must then ask your employees to renew the devices.