One size doesn't fit all

The struggle to achieve a comfortable fit can be a significant barrier to getting employees to wear hearing protection. Georgina Bisby visits Ultimate Hearing Protection Systems to find out how offering a bespoke solution can help overcome these challenges

"You wouldn't walk onto a construction site and issue everyone with size 10 boots," says David Marshall managing director of Ultimate Hearing Protection Systems, "and the same should apply to hearing protection. The anatomy of the ear canal varies enormously from person to person, depending on gender, age and head shape and therefore hearing protection requirements vary too."

Studies have shown that around half of workers who wear industrial hearing protection receive half or less of the protection they should. In Ultimate Hearing Protection's experience this is because ear defender devices are often not worn correctly or continuously due to improper or uncomfortable fit.

Improving compliance Ultimate Hearing Protection is often contacted in a last attempt to win over workers who are rejecting hearing protection because of issues with comfort or fit. The company's custom made hearing protection uses a medical grade silicone to craft ear defenders from exact impressions of the users' ears, making every pair individual to a user.

In addition to crafting personalised hearing protection the company can also design and manufacture customised factory communication improving ear defenders to specifically address a company's requirements. They can do this either by reducing the ambient noise levels using bespoke ear plugs, or by creating versions with speakers fitted " inside, facilitating clear communication in noisy industrial environments such as factories.

As well as industrial hearing protection the company produces solutions for the music industry, sports and leisure and the military and even for those affected by snoring. They also produce the Soundear, custom fitted stereo ear phones which promise incredible sound quality thanks to their ability to cut out background noise. The company made me a pair so that I could experience the fitting process which involves filling the ear with a medical grade silicone. There is an odd cold sensation as the silicone is injected into the ear and the world goes quiet for about five minutes while the silicone cures, but all in all it is a hassle and pain free procedure. Once I received my Soundears, as promised the sound quality was extremely clear and it is surprising how low the volume needs to be set (in the case of my iPod at less than 10% of its potential) once you are able to effectively block out background noise.

The plug part of the ear phones aren't particularly pretty to look at but more interestingly they vary quite considerably from one ear to the other, further illustrating just how much the insides of our ears vary. In terms of comfort the plugs fit neatly into the ear to the point that once they are fitted correctly you are not particularly aware of them: "Some employees literally go from not wearing hearing protection at all to forgetting to take it out at the end of the day once they have a custom made pair," says David.

Cost savings Many companies believe that a customised ear protection programme will cost significantly more than their existing solution but David suggests that such companies often don't have a grip on their finances. While the unit price of disposable ear plugs is lower, in Ultimate Hearing Protection's experience they tend to be overused in a lot of workplaces: "People are fed up with seeing disposable earplugs all over the place so they will throw them away when they don't necessarily need to. One customer we visited had a problem with blocked drains which when unblocked were found to be clogged up with disposable earplugs." David suggests typically the cost of a customised solution can work out at £65/person per year versus £100/person year for disposables.

"Custom made earplugs aren't the best solution for every workplace," adds David, suggesting that the more stable a workforce is the more likely it is to benefit from the technology. However David also believes that in high noise workplaces hearing protection issues can even contribute to the transience of the workforce and says: "In such cases as well as improving PPE compliance, investing in custom made hearing protection can actually help to stabilise the workforce." To find out more, visit Ultimate Hearing Protection Systems