Determination of In‐Use Attenuation Values for Selected Ear Plugs

The amount of noise attenuation offered by ear plugs in actual‐use situations as compared to the attenuation measured in laboratory tests (per ANSI Standard Z24.22‐1957, “Measurement of the Real‐Ear Attenuation of Ear Protectors at Threshold”) has been a question of concern for a number of years. This question is especially of interest today with the recent introduction of hearing conservation programs in most industry. Almost all of these programs use ear protection as a means of temporarily protecting workers until noise reduction is accomplished. It is therefore extremely important to know the difference, if any, between published [ANSI test] and in‐use attenuation values for protectors. In this study, two routines were developed to simulate in‐plant work activities. Real‐ear attenuation values [per ANSI] for the V51‐R‐type plug were determined before and after each work routine. The ten subjects were tested on three occasions for each work routine. No significant difference was found in the attenuatio...