Are your helmet-mounted ear defenders compliant?

Under the PPE Regulation (EU) 2016/425, hearing protection is classed as Category III - the highest risk category - signifying that harmful noise causes irreversible damage to health. When it comes to helmet-mounted ear defenders, EN 352-3 contains specific requirements for PPE combinations.

Work-related noise induced hearing loss (NIHL) remains the most common permanent and preventable occupational injury in Europe¹. Increasing awareness of this means that tackling NIHL is a top priority for businesses that not only want to protect their workforce's health, but also reduce cost and improve productivity.

Hearing loss can be caused by workers not wearing adequate hearing protection, wearing ill-fitting protection, or workers not being properly trained in this area. There are many forms of hearing protection including earmuffs, earplugs and moulded earplugs, each providing excellent attenuation for different applications. However, if not fitted correctly, they let noise in, causing damage. Hearing tests only detect damage after it has happened. These factors make it so important to ensure that ear defenders are fitted correctly.

By using an ear defender-helmet combination which has been EN 352-3 certified, you can help ensure you will really have the attenuation you expect to have. Check the user instruction for your ear defenders to see if you are compliant or not. Honeywell Howard Leight ear defenders have been EN 352-3 certified for use with a variety of helmets.

Watch this video to learn more about Honeywell's Howard Leight VeriShield 100 series ear defenders:

Stay safe by choosing PPE combinations which have been tested and EN 352-3 certified for use by a notified body.

Contact us or use our Live-Chat to find out which EN 352-3 certified combination is the right one for you.

Sources and References

¹Noise Toolkit