Inspection | Hearing Protection Leak Test

A study by the Royal College of General Practitioners in the United Kingdom found that our ears grow by an average of 0.22 mm each year. The ear canal is partly made up of elastic cartilage, which means it can change shape over time. Why does this happen? We don’t know exactly, but it is thought to be a way of compensating for the gradual decline of these senses.

A custom earmould (= custom-fitted hearing protection) only provides protection when it seals properly. Experience shows that after an average of 5 years, the ear canal has in many cases changed shape enough that the hearing protector no longer seals adequately. This has nothing to do with the quality of the earmoulds, but with the fit of your custom-made earplug. A gap then forms between your ear canal and the earmould, allowing sound to ‘leak’ through.

Another factor that can affect the shape of your ear canal is weight gain or loss.

Custom earplugs cannot be checked visually. That is why all of our earplugs can be tested digitally for their seal. Earmoulds are always tested in the user’s own ears.

Because your ear canal grows and changes shape, over time your earmould will no longer fit precisely.

Steps for inspecting / leak testing hearing protection

• The earmoulds are cleaned thoroughly (using ultrasound).

• The person inserts their hearing protectors and a thin air tube is connected to them.

• A digital leak test is carried out, which means a small amount of pressure (5 millibar) is built up in the ear, although the person in question will barely notice it.

• After 5 seconds the test is complete and we test the other hearing protector.

After the test, it is possible to draw up a test certificate with the measurement results. We can test almost all earmoulds, including those made by our competitors.

As of 21 April 2019, hearing protection for businesses falls under the highest and stricter PPE category 3 (Regulation (EU) 2016/425)