Buy Howard Leight Airsoft Ear Plugs Online Australia

Introduction

An earplug is a device that is inserted in the ear canal to protect the user’s ears from loud noises, intrusion of water, foreign bodies, dust, or excessive wind. Since they reduce the sound volume, earplugs may prevent hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing of the ears), in some cases. Designed for superb comfort and fit, these Howard Leight AirSoft reusable earplugs consist of a pocket of air surrounded by a soft TPE shell with four flanges to create a tight seal. They’re easy to wash to maintain hygiene and are corded so they can be conveniently worn around the neck when not in use.

Airsoft earplugs are the perfect choice for maximum protection, comfort, and extended wear. They are designed to be a great value for long-term use. Airsoft earplugs have a patented cushion of soft attenuating material around a pocket of air that is comfortable enough for extended wear and superior comfort. They are the highest-rated reusable earplugs available. Wash with soap and water for months of protection. Attenuation tested in accordance with ANSI S3.19-1974. Blue color. Clear flip-top boxes, packed in a dispenser box of 100 pairs. Sold by the pair, with a discount for buying full boxes. Ratings: NRR 27. Sold as a 10-pair pack.

The first recorded mention of the use of earplugs is in the Greek tale Odyssey, wherein Odysseus’s crew is warned about the Sirens that sing from an island they will sail past. Circe, their hostess, tells them of the Sirens’ bewitching song that makes men drive their boats ashore and perish. She advised Odysseus to fashion earplugs for his men from beeswax so they would not be lured to their deaths by the sirens’ song.

In 1907, the German company Ohropax, which would produce mainly wax earplugs, was started by the German inventor Max Negwer. Ray and Cecilia Benner invented the first moldable pure silicone ear plug in 1962. These earplugs were valued by swimmers because of their waterproof qualities, as well as those trying to avoid harmful noise. Ray Benner, who was a Classical musician, bought McKeon Products in 1962. At that time, the company’s sole product was Mack’s Earplugs (named after the original owner), which was a moldable clay earplug. The Benners quickly redesigned the product to a silicone version, which would become known as Mack’s Pillow Soft Earplugs.

Present-day earplug material was discovered in 1967, at National Research Corporation (NRC) in the US by Ross Gardner Jr. and his team. As part of a project on sealing joints, they developed a resin with energy absorption properties. They came to call this material “E-A-R” (Energy Absorption Resin). In 1972 the material was refined into commercial memory foam earplugs, made from either polyvinyl chloride or polyurethane.

There are four main types of earplug fittings for hearing protection:

• Foam earplugs are mainly made from either polyvinyl chloride (PVC) or polyurethane (PU) (memory foam), which are compressed (rolled) and put into the ear canal, where they expand to plug it.
• Wax earplugs are rolled into a ball and carefully molded to fit over the external portion of the ear canal.
• Flanged silicone earplugs are an example of a universal fit.
• Custom molded earplugs, made from a mold of the wearer’s ear and designed to precisely fit all ear canal shapes. Custom molded is further divided into laboratory-made and “formed in place”.

NIOSH Mining Safety and Health Research recommends using the roll, pull, and hold method when using memory foam earplugs. The process involves the user rolling the earplug into a thin rod, pulling back on the ear, and holding the earplug deep in the ear canal with the finger. To get a complete seal, the user must wait about 20 to 30 seconds for the earplug to expand inside the canal.

Earplugs are most effective when the wearer has been properly trained on use and insertion. Employers can provide this training before dispensing earplugs to their employees. Training for earplug use includes insertion, a seal check, depth check, removal, cleaning, and replacement. When training on insertion, the objective is for the worker to understand the correct insertion strategy. Proper insertion training prevents inadequate insertion, which can result in discomfort or inadequate attenuation, which can result in hearing loss. When this step is achieved, then the seal and depth need to be checked. The earplugs all have a desired depth and seal which need to be achieved to provide the designated attenuation for the wearer. The worker will also be trained on how to properly remove the earplugs and clean them. This allows for multiple uses and reduces the chance of infection. To further prevent infection, it is important the worker understands when they will need to replace their earplugs. Once the plugs have been worn down from repeated use, they will no longer seal correctly or provide the proper attenuation level, and the device will need to be replaced.

Earplugs and other hearing protection devices can be tested to ensure that they fit properly and are successfully limiting sound exposure, which is called fit-testing. There are a number of different fit-testing systems, also known as field attenuation estimation systems (FAES). These use large headphones or specialized (surrogate) earplugs to transmit the test sounds and measure the attenuation provided by the hearing protector. These systems include the NIOSH HPD Well-Fit, as well as the Honeywell Howard Leight VeriPRO and 3MEARFit.

Hearing protection can also be verified using real-ear methods. Real-ear attenuation at threshold (REAT) measurements test how narrowband noises of varying center frequencies are attenuated with and without hearing protection in place. The difference in thresholds with and without the hearing protection in place determines the amount of attenuation.

Hearing protectors sold in the US are required by the EPA to have a noise reduction rating (NRR), which is an estimate of noise reduction at the ear when protectors are worn properly.

Real-ear attenuation at threshold (REAT) measurements are performed multiple times with 10 to 20 subjects to determine the NRR. Using the collected data, an average group attenuation is reported along with a standard deviation for attenuation on the hearing protector package.

Due to the discrepancy between how protectors fit in the testing laboratory and how users wear protectors in the real world, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) have developed derating formulas to reduce the effective NRR.

While the NRR and the SNR (Single Number Rating) are designed to be used with C-weighted noise, which means that the lower frequencies are not de-emphasized, other ratings (NRR(SF) and NRSA) are determined for use with A-weighted noise levels, which have lower frequencies de-emphasized. NIOSH recommended and the U.S. EPA mandated that 7-dB compensation between C and A weighting be applied when the NRR is used with A-weighted noise levels.

The OSHA training manual for inspectors says the adequacy of hearing protection for use in a hazardous noise environment should be derated to account for how workers typically wear protection relative to how manufacturers test the protector’s attenuation in the laboratory. For all types of hearing protection, OSHA’s derating factor is 50%. If used with C-weighted noise, the derated NRR will become NRR/2. If used with A-weighted noise, OSHA applies the 7-dB adjustment for C-A weighting first then derates the remainder. For example, a protector with 33-dB attenuation would have this derating:

Derated NRR = (33 – 7)/2

NIOSH has proposed a different method for derating based on the type of protector. For earmuffs, the NRR should be derated by 25%, for slow-recovery foam earplugs the derating is 50% for all other protection, the derating is 70%. NIOSH applies the C-A spectral compensation differently than OSHA. Where OSHA subtracts the 7-dB factor first and derates the result, NIOSH derates the NRR first and then compensates for the C-A difference. For example, to find the derated NRR for an earmuff by using the NIOSH derating system, the following equation would be used:

Derated NRR = (Original NRR x (1-.25)) – 7

Painful discomfort occurs at approximately 120 to 125 dB(A), with some references claiming 133 dB(A) for the threshold of pain. Active ear muffs are available with electronic noise cancellation that can reduce direct path ear canal noise by approximately 17–33 dB, depending on the low, medium, or high frequency at which attenuation is measured. Passive earplugs vary in their measured attenuation, ranging from 20 dB to 30 dB, depending on whether they are properly used, and if low-pass mechanical filters are also being used.