3.4 EN 352 Standards for Hearing Protection
PPE Regulations and Standards
- BS EN 352-1: Earmuffs
- BS EN 352-2: Earplugs
- BS EN 352-3: Earmuffs attached to industrial safety helmets
- BS EN 352-4: Level-dependent earmuffs
- BS EN 352-5: Active noise reduction earmuffs
What it is: The EN 352 series of European standards specifies the requirements for hearing protectors. These standards are implemented in the UK as BS EN 352. They cover everything from construction and performance to user information.
BS EN 352-1: Earmuffs
BS EN 352-2: Earplugs
BS EN 352-3: Earmuffs attached to industrial safety helmets
BS EN 352-4: Level-dependent earmuffs
BS EN 352-5: Active noise reduction earmuffs
BS EN 352-6: Earmuffs with electrical audio input
BS EN 352-7: Level-dependent earplugs
BS EN 352-8: Entertainment audio earplugs
Why it matters: Compliance with these standards is required for a hearing protector to be legally sold in the UK. The standards ensure a baseline of quality and performance. However, the attenuation values (SNR, HML) are determined under laboratory conditions (as specified in BS EN ISO 4869-1), which may not reflect real-world use. This is why HSE RR720 and L108 are so important.