Most employees fail to accomplish their duties to generate a safer workplace. Almost 11% of construction workers lack earmuffs for ear protection and safety. According to this statistic, this problem even goes beyond the construction industry since hearing loss has also been experienced in utility supply, storage, transport, mining as well as manufacturing.
What is a muff? (All About Ear Muffs)
These are designed objects that cover your ears, offering you warm and ear protection. Furthermore, they have a metal or thermoplastic headband; it comfortably fits the back or top of your head. It also has cushioning or earcups on both ends for external ear covering. This product offers you complete defense against dangerous noise exposure. On the other hand, they are crucial weapons for offering you ear protection along with safety.
Note that muff comes with several advantages that earplugs and other devices for hearing protection cannot guarantee. This makes it suitable for non-occupational as well as occupational users. The primary benefit of muff is that it is easy for you to get a proper fit if you correctly adjust your headband and avoid unnecessary obstruction. These are thick eyeglass frames or hair; this makes you obtain hearing protection close to the attenuation rating. This does not apply to an earplug since the fitting is not guaranteed. Furthermore, earmuffs are appropriate for intermittent exposures to noise; this means you can hang them around the neck if not in use, especially for occupational users who use ear muffs for shooting.
On the other hand, this product has a disadvantage; most users feel they are heavy and hot for prolonged use, especially if you are in a humid environment. You must take sufficient care to make sure your earmuffs are more compatible with your other protective tools that are personal, such as eyewear and hardhats.
Some misconceptions that come with earmuffs are in relation to attenuation. Many users are likely to assume that because earmuffs block a lot of noise compared to earplugs. However, that is not true because of earmuffs’ minimal attenuation than a perfect fit earplug. Note that with maximum attenuation, it is more effective to seal your ear canal using an earplug than using a sealing pinna, especially with an earmuff.
Most earmuffs also think that they do not need to make their muffs clean since they last forever. The truth is that the fact that earmuffs cannot go inside the user’s ear does not mean you should not clean them; they should be cleaned regularly to ensure they are always hygienic. However, how often the cleanliness should take depends on your environment, whether they are shared, or are for personal use.
Note that caring for your muff is very easy. Furthermore, you can achieve it using water as well as soap. It would help if you also examined it regularly for any defects, such as loose bands, liquid-filled leaking cushions, deformed cushions, or cracked cups. Whenever the muff undergoes stretching to open to enable you to wear it, the band’s tension is minimized, hence failing to generate a correct seal for your ears.
A product like 3M needs a replacement of the outer and inner foam seals of the muff every 3-6 months. Therefore, hygiene kits are always at hand to enable workers to maintain noise reduction, comfort, and hygiene acceptable by replacing these components.
The Final Words (Summary)
Based on the above definition of the muff, you are now familiar with what it is as well as the benefits, advantages, and misconceptions about this product. Therefore, it is appropriate that you aim for this product due to the benefits it is likely to offer you. I hope that this information will be of benefit to you to better understand what is a muff.
