Personal hearing protectors and areas
Personal hearing protectors
Hearing protection areas
Personal hearing protectors
A personal hearing protector is a device, or pair of devices, designed to be worn over or inserted in the ears of a person to protect hearing. Personal hearing protectors should be used when levels of excessive noise cannot be reduced by using other control measures. Workers or others at the workplace should be:
- supplied with personal hearing protectors of correct rating and suitable for the work conditions
- instructed in their correct usage
- instructed to wear them when exposed to noise
- monitored to ensure they wear hearing protection
Personal hearing protectors should not be used as a substitute for engineering or administrative noise control measures.
For further information on the use, selection and risks of personal hearing protectors, check Section 5.4 of the Noise Advisory Standard 2004 (now known as a Code of Practice).
Hearing protection areas
Areas where persons may be exposed to excessive noise should be signposted as ‘hearing protection areas’ at every entry point to the areas. The boundaries of these areas should be clearly defined.
No person, including visitors, managers or supervisors, should enter a hearing protection area during normal operation unless they wear appropriate personal hearing protectors. This is regardless of how long the person spends in the hearing protection area.
Signs used to identify these areas should conform to AS 1319 Safety signs for the occupational environment (non-Queensland Government link). Correct selection can be confirmed with a supplier of workplace health and safety signs. Additional signs within the hearing protection areas may also be necessary.
Methods of achieving this include:
- attaching prominent warning notices to tools and equipment to show that personal hearing protectors must be worn when operating them
- providing written and verbal instructions on how to recognise circumstances in which personal hearing protectors are needed
- effective supervision of identified ‘hearing protection areas’
For further information on hearing protection areas, check Section 5.4 of the Noise Advisory Standard 2004 (now known as a Code of Practice).
Last updated 21 August 2008