Customised hearing protection as

Appropriate personal protective equipment

For individuals who work in a noisy workplace for several hours a day, only customised hearing protection can be considered “suitable personal protective equipment (PPE)”. On this page you will find the PPE regulation, the legal basis, an overview of responsibilities and the prevention guidelines of the DGUV.

Why?

• Only in the case of custom-made hearing protection a functional check is carried out on delivery and thus the actual protection guaranteed.
• Only with custom-made hearing protection the mould is precisely adapted to the ear anatomy, and thus wearing acceptance over several hours is possible.
• Only with custom-made hearing protection the position is fixed and therefore the hearing impression is the same every day (warning signal audibility, communication, etc.).

PPE Regulation

Regulations for hearing protection

1. According to the PPE Regulation, hearing protection falls under category III, which means that it is subject to production control by a notified authority.

2. All economic operators are liable. Traders, importers and the companies that provide PPE to their employees are held responsible. They must make sure that the products they trade in have been tested and have the appropriate certification.

3. For customised hearing protection, it is mandatory to carry out and document the statutory function test according to DIN EN 352. Here, the receipt, the performance of the test measurement, as well as the explanation of the instruction points are confirmed by the employee. A copy of the functional test must be made available to the user or the company and kept for at least 10 years.

The following guidelines apply:
• To be carried out before the initial delivery.
• It must be carried out again every 3 years.
• The functional test or procedure of the respective hearing protector manufacturer (which the manufacturer has submitted to the approval body, e.g. IFA) must be carried out.
• The functional test must always be documented. A printout is made available to the company or users.

4. For hunters, sport shooters (from small calibre) and supervisory personnel at shooting ranges, Hörluchs® generally recommends the guidelines of the German Federal Armed Forces:
• The hearing protection must have a type examination certificate according to DIN EN 352.
• The filters used must be suitable for impulse noise.
• The SNR value must be min. 26 dB (exceptions are possible for various applications).
• A functional check must be carried out on delivery.
• Otoplastics can only be worn for very loud weapons (e.g. bazooka) or a high number of shots (e.g. supervisor or instructor during shooting) in combination with suitable earmuffs. In this case, the earmould can be removed when communicating with the shooter. The earmould nevertheless protects the ear from shooting from the neighbouring stand.

Source: zDv 44/3 Lärmschutz und BGR/GUV-R194-Regel (Benutzung von Gehörschutz)

The legal basis in Germany

at a high-noise workstation

Above 80 dB(A) exposure level at the workplace, the employer must provide the employee with suitable hearing protection in accordance with the law. Above 85 dB(A) hearing protection must be worn.

As a result of the entry into force of Regulation (EU) 2016/425 (PPE Regulation), hearing protection is assigned to Category III. Due to the significantly increased requirements for hearing protection products, the product quality and safety increases significantly. The PPE, that has to be monitored, ensures that manufacturers and dealers meet the highest safety requirements.

Hearing protection products must be certified according to the new PPE regulation from April 2018 to ensure that the products comply with the latest regulations. The now mandatory functional testing ensures the best possible protection of the hearing protection wearer. Annual instructions with exercises sensitise the wearer to the correct use of hearing protection.

It should be noted that there are different requirements for personal protective equipment in each country. Please contact your legal advisor to find out about your regulations.

Legal basis

LärmVibrationsArbSchV
TRLV Lärm 3, 6.6 „Gehörschutz für besonders gefährdete Gruppen“
BGR/GUV-R 194 „Benutzung von Gehörschutz“
PLL „Einsatz von Hörgeräten im Lärmbereich“
PLL „Einsatz von Otoplasten im Lärmbereich“
• Königsteiner Empfehlung für Begutachtung der Lärmschwerhörigkeit
• Hilfsmittel-Richtlinie (HilfsM-RL) v. 15.03.2012
• Rahmenvereinbarung zwischen DGUV und der Bundesinnung der Hörakustiker (VbgHG)

Responsibility

Who is responsible?

The entrepreneur
He is responsible for the implementation of occupational health and safety in the company.

The works council
He is responsible for ensuring compliance with the legal requirements for the protection of employees in the company. In this regard, he is usually involved in occupational safety issues.

The company doctor
Among other things, the company doctor also advises on the selection of suitable PPE. The prerequisite for this is the medical indication such as an incipient or advanced hearing loss, anatomy of the auditory canal, intolerance to certain materials of the employee, etc.

The safety expert
Among other things, she advises the company on the selection of suitable PPE (personal protective equipment). The safety specialist selects the appropriate hearing protection according to certain criteria such as noise level, duration of noise, handling, dirty area etc.

The prevention guidelines

of the DGUV

For Hörluchs® as a manufacturer as well as for hearing aid acousticians who work with Hörluchs® , precise knowledge of the legal framework is crucial. Central for Hörluchs® are the requirements of the prevention guidelines.

The prevention guidelines for the use of hearing protection earmoulds have been set by the DGUV (German Social Accident Insurance) and are mandatory for all. When the Noise and Vibration Occupational Health and Safety Ordinance came into force, the “maximum permissible exposure value” of 85 dB(A) was introduced, taking hearing protection into account. This must be complied with individually. This makes it necessary to select hearing protection with special care.

The prevention guidelines regulate the requirements for sound insulation of hearing protection earmoulds, recommendations for use and, in particular, functional testing. Advantages and disadvantages of hearing protection earmoulds and typical mistakes during use are also addressed. In order to ensure that a hearing protector earmould guarantees an optimal protective effect both when it is delivered correctly and in the future, the technical rules have been tightened up once again: regular function tests must be carried out at intervals of three years, both at the time of delivery (up to a maximum of six months after the date of delivery) and thereafter. It should be noted that the manufacturer is responsible for the inspection at the time of delivery, since according to the PPE Directive 89/686/EEC, the manufacturer may only market products with adequate protection.

Downloads
Präventionsleitlinie Hörgeräte Cover

DGUV Prevention guideline (GER)
„Einsatz von Hörgeräten in Lärmbereichen“
(ca. 52 KB)

Präventionsleitlinie Hörgeschädigte Cover

DGUV Prevention guideline (GER)
„Gehörschutz für Personen mit Hörminderung“
(ca. 275 KB)