It’s one thing to supply your workers with hearing protectors. It’s quite another thing, however, to make sure they are wearing the appropriate hearing protection.

Hearing protection devices (HPD) today are typically selected based on criteria that seem simple but may lead to problems in real-world application. After the all-important price point, the key criterion for most users is noise reduction rating (NRR). Most users select HPD with the highest available NRR, assuming that “bigger is better.” But understanding the NRR and the HPD evaluation process can lead to better decision making and more realistic application of HPD evaluation findings.