LCDR Tony Joseph
In the real world of hearing protector use, military audiologists are faced with the challenge of establishing an engaging inventory of devices that conform to the needs of the end user. Government employees would be well served if their noise exposure level, attenuation level, and exposure duration were consistently documented, which would permit estimation of an under-the-protector exposure level. By producing this estimate, audiologists could decide if the protective product in use was suitable, or if over-protection or under-protection was indicated.
Although instruments capable of producing reliable estimates of hearing protector attenuation exist, generally hearing conservationists do not physically verify the level of attenuation achieved by their users, in the clinic or the field. Instead, occupational audiologists have opted to derate the level of attenuation reported as best fit on the product label, while some do not address the issue of attenuation at all, perhaps because they do not have the time to obtain measurements or make calculations. This discussion will advocate that, in addition to furnishing audiograms and hearing protection devices, attenuation measurements, ear canal size measurements, and appropriate motivational hearing protection education should be administered. At a minimum, a conditional derating of the manufacturer’s noise reduction rating should be conducted.