Effect of removing hearing protection in noise.

Attenuation, dB

Frequency, Hz

When removing the hearing protection for no more than a total of ten minutes a day, the attenuation effect drops drastically. This is especially true at higher frequencies where the attenuation is optimal.

The corresponding is applicable for hearing protector attenuation. If the protector is removed for just a short period of time in noise the sound energy to the ear increases rapidly. As the maximum attenuation of hearing protectors is concentrated at higher frequencies, the noise dose will be most affected in this range.