New measurement system for hearing protection
With the new EU regulation for PPE, the regulations for hearing protection are strengthened. Among other things, the personal attenuation value must be known for each employee.
With the new EU Regulation 2016/425, products such as life jackets, PPE to protect against chain saw cuts or hearing protection now also belong to PPE category three.
This means that manufacturers will have to undergo more stringent quality assurance procedures and, where feasible, provide their products and packaging with a new CE marking.
The EU thus officially recognizes harmful noise as a cause of irreversible damage to health. Companies must therefore now determine the personal attenuation value (PAR) for all employees in the company. This means that it must be ensured that hearing protection plugs also fit correctly and thus achieve the desired attenuation.
New measuring system
For hearing protection products from supplier 3M, the company has developed a new validation system designed to quickly measure PAR. It works in three steps: First, the employee puts on the hearing protection. Connected to the system are two microphones and a test tone is started via the loudspeaker. Subsequently, the evaluation is carried out by computer and, based on the PAR determined, a customized hearing protector can be selected.
The system tests both ears simultaneously and all seven frequencies. Results are fast and accurate for both earmuffs and earplugs, according to 3M.
