can cause irreparable hearing damage.

It is vital, therefore,

that everyone in your facility take appropriate steps

to protect their hearing from workplace noise.

What exactly is considered excessive noise?

Excessive noise has been defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

as exposure to sound greater than 85 decibels continuously

over an 8 hour period.

How loud is 85 decibels? To give you a better idea,

here are some samples of fairly common noises

that the EPA would consider excessive

All hearing protection devices are individually rated by how well they reduce noise.

This Noise Reduction Rating, or NRR for short, is clearly visible

on the label of every hearing protector sold in the US today.

These earmuffs for example, have an NRR rating of 30,

meaning they will provide 30 decibels of protection,

reducing the sound of a chainsaw from 100 decibels, to a much safer 70 decibels.

It is also possible to combine earplugs and earmuffs for even greater noise protection.

Determining the NRR rating for dual protectors is easy.

Just increase the NRR rating of the higher rated protection device

by between 5 and 10 points.

In this example, using these disposable ear plugs with an NRR rating of 33

along with these ear muffs with an NRR rating of NRR 27

would provide you somewhere between 38 and 43 decibels of noise protection.

Seton has the hearing protection equipment you need,

from disposable and reusable earplugs

to earmuffs, as well as earplug dispensers

and Hearing Protection Signs and Labels.

Visit us today at www.seton.com to see our full selection.