Is your hearing protection failing to safeguard your hearing? Watch for these three things.
Whether you’re at home or at work, sometimes you encounter something that can impede the performance of your hearing protection. And that can be discouraging. You’re attempting to do the right thing after all. When you go to a concert, you wear your earplugs; At work, you wear earmuffs every day; and you try to steer clear of Uncle Joe who is constantly yelling in your ear.
The point is, it can be a bit discouraging when you’re doing everything correctly and still there are obstacles. The nice thing is that once you find out about a few of these simple problems that can interfere with your hearing protection, you can better prepare yourself. And this will keep your hearing protection working effectively even when you’re experiencing a little difficulty.
1. Using The Wrong Type of Ear Protection
There are two handy and standard categories of hearing protection: earmuffs and earplugs. Earplugs are little and, as the name indicates, can be put right into the ear canal. Earmuffs look like a pair of 70’s headphones, but instead of music, they provide protection for your ears by muting external sound.
- When you’re in a situation where noise is relatively constant, earplugs are encouraged.
- When loud sounds are more sporadic, earmuffs are recommended.
The reasons for that are relatively obvious: you’ll want to remove your hearing protection when it’s quiet, and that’s easier to do with earmuffs than earplugs. Earplugs are extremely easy to lose (particularly if they’re cheap and disposable anyway), so you don’t want to be in a scenario where you remove an earplug, lose it, and then need it later.
Wear the correct kind of hearing protection in the appropriate situation and you should be fine.
2. Your Anatomy Can Affect Your Hearing Protection
Human anatomy is extremely varied. That’s why your vocal cords are more normal sized compared to old Uncle Joe who has larger vocal cords. That’s also why you may have a smaller than average ear canal.
This can cause complications with your ear protection. Disposable earplugs, for instance, are made with a t-shirt mentality: small, medium, and large (even sometimes one-size-fits-all). And so if you have particularly tiny ear canals, you may have a difficult time making earplugs fit, causing you to give up completely and in frustration, throw them away..
If you find yourself in this situation, you could forsake the hearing protection you were attempting to give yourself, leaving you in danger of hearing damage. The same thing can occur if, for instance, your ears are a bit larger, making earmuff style protectors awkward. If you’re in a noisy setting regularly, it may be worth investing in custom hearing protection tailored to your ears.
3. Check Your Hearing Protection For Signs of Wear
If you’re wearing your hearing protection daily, you should give yourself a pat on the back. But that also means you need to monitor the wear and tear your hearing protection is experiencing.
- Clean your hearing protection. Earwax serves a practical purpose in your body but it can also collect on your hearing protection. Be sure you wash your hearing protection completely by taking them apart before you clean them. If you’re washing earplugs, don’t drop them down the drain.
- If you use earmuffs, examine the band. The band will need to be replaced if the elastic is worn out and doesn’t hold the earmuffs tight.
- When they’re no longer pliable, replace the cushions on your earmuffs.
Ensuring you perform regular maintenance on your hearing protection is vital if you want to continue benefiting from that protection. If you have any questions or how to do that, or how to make sure you’re ready for things that can mess with your hearing protection, it’s a smart idea to have a frank conversation with a highly qualified hearing professional.
Your hearing is important. Taking the time to protect it right is worthwhile.