2.2 HSE RR720 - Real World Use and Performance of Hearing Protection (2009)
HSE Guidance
- Real-world attenuation is often much lower than the SNR value suggests.
- The effectiveness of hearing protection is highly dependent on the quality of fit, the user's fitting technique, and wearing time.
- The report provides strong evidence supporting the need for individual fit testing to verify the protection an individual is actually achieving.
What it is: This pivotal HSE research report investigates the difference between the laboratory-stated attenuation of hearing protectors and the actual protection achieved by workers in real-world workplace conditions. The study found that the real-world performance was often significantly lower than the manufacturers' claimed values (Brueck, 2009).
Real-world attenuation is often much lower than the SNR value suggests.
The effectiveness of hearing protection is highly dependent on the quality of fit, the user's fitting technique, and wearing time.
The report provides strong evidence supporting the need for individual fit testing to verify the protection an individual is actually achieving.
Why it matters to UK employers: Relying solely on manufacturers' SNR figures to select hearing protection could lead to workers being under-protected and exposed to harmful levels of noise. This report provides the evidence base for why employers must consider real-world factors and cannot simply assume the stated attenuation is being achieved. It is the scientific foundation for the guidance in L108 and the principles of fit testing. Related: [#evidence-real-world-variability](#evidence-real-world-variability).