Category: Blog

Author:  Garry G. Gordon, M.S., CEO, EAR, Inc., Boulder, CO.  Article also published in Safety and Health magazine. Should I fit-test the hearing protection my workers use? Traditionally, the verification of how well an ear protector (earmuffs or earplugs) attenuates has been conducted under laboratory standards that resulted in reporting a noise reduction rating. The resulting NRR score simply implied the expected attenuation when the product was properly installed at the time of use. Eventually, it became recognized that numerous

Authors: Robert M. Traynor, Ed.D., MBA, FNAP, Robert Traynor Audiology, LLC, Fort Collins, CO. Garry G. Gordon, M.S., CEO, EAR, Inc., Boulder, CO. Dennis Colucci, Au.D., Auditory Disorders and Balance Laboratory, Inc., Dana Point, CA. Article also published in Workplace Material Handling and Safety  magazine. INTRODUCTION Since the 1970s, verification of the noise reduction (attenuation) provided by hearing protection devices (HPDs), using research level standards, resulted in the Noise Reduction Rating (NRR). This NRR designation is a laboratory-derived single-number designed