Ear Plug Safety

Ear plugs should be used when you are in noisy environments. Loud noise not only interferes with your day, it can also cause hearing loss. Hearing loss is gradual and can go unnoticed, so it is important to take the necessary precautions. With the use of ear plugs, you can protect your hearing. Ear plugs, which reduce the noise levels in the inner ear, are safe to use when used properly (Reference 1).

Noise Exposure

• You are being exposed to too much noise if you need to speak or yell in your workplace for another person to understand you, you have ringing or other noises in your ears after leaving work or a loud environment, or music and speech sound muffled to you after leaving those environments. You should wear ear plugs in these environments.

Protection

• Ear plugs offer good protection for your hearing, provided there is a good seal between the skin and the ear protector. To maintain protection, replace your ear plugs when the seal is no longer strong (Reference 1).

Safety

• Most ear plugs are safe to use, as long as they are kept clean. It is rare to get an infection or injury from the use of a clean ear plug (Reference 1).

Types

• Expandable foam plugs, which are disposable, are rolled before insertion and then expand to block noise. Reusable pre-molded ear plugs come in different sizes and keep out the noise while maintaining comfort. Canal caps look like ear plugs, but are attached to a flexible band that can be worn around the neck (Reference 2).

Places

• Some examples of places or activities where ear plugs should be worn are as follows: shooting ranges or hunting, car races, factories or machine shops.