Protect your hearing
before it changes.
Understand noise exposure, safe listening and the practical steps that can help reduce avoidable hearing damage at work, at home and during leisure activities.
Hearing Protection
Healthy Hearing Includes Prevention
Repeated or prolonged exposure to loud sound can damage the delicate structures of the inner ear. Hearing protection is about understanding risk, reducing unnecessary exposure and using appropriate protection when sound levels cannot be avoided.
Reduce Exposure
Move away from excessive noise where possible, limit exposure time and allow periods of quiet recovery.
Listen Safely
Keep personal listening at sensible levels and avoid unnecessarily long periods of high-volume headphone use.
Use Hearing Protection
Use suitable earplugs, earmuffs or specialist filtered protection in environments where damaging noise cannot be avoided.
Understanding Noise Exposure
Sound level and exposure time both matter.
Sound is measured in decibels (dB). As sound becomes louder, the amount of time you can be exposed safely becomes shorter. Risk depends not only on how loud a sound is, but how long and how often you are exposed to it.
Situations where
protection may help
A Simple Safe-Listening Approach
Recognise the risk. Reduce the dose. Protect when needed.
1. Recognise Loud Sound
If you need to shout to communicate at close range, the environment may be loud enough to warrant caution.
2. Reduce the Volume
Turn down personal listening devices and increase distance from loudspeakers or other noise sources where possible.
3. Limit Exposure Time
Take listening breaks and reduce the total amount of time spent around high sound levels.
4. Protect Your Ears
When exposure cannot be reduced sufficiently, use hearing protection appropriate to the environment.
Recognise
→
Reduce
→
Rest
→
Protect
→
Preserve Hearing
Choosing Hearing Protection
Foam Earplugs
Simple disposable protection for many noisy environments when inserted correctly.
Earmuffs
Useful where protection needs to be put on and removed frequently or where a secure over-ear fit is preferred.
Custom Earplugs
Individually fitted protection designed for comfort and repeated use.
Filtered / Musicians’ Protection
Designed to reduce sound level while preserving more natural sound quality for music and communication.
Want to protect your hearing?
If you are regularly exposed to noise or have noticed a change after loud-sound exposure, a hearing assessment can provide a useful baseline.