By Brenda Pittman, AGC Certified Industrial Hygienist
How Long Does It Take to Insert Hearing Protection?
Inserting foam (squishy) hearing protection correctly takes about 45 to 60 seconds per ear, largely because the foam needs time to expand. For the most effective noise reduction, follow this step-by-step process:
- Roll and Compress (10–15 seconds): With clean hands, roll and squeeze a foam earplug into a tight, crease-free cylinder.
- Straighten the Ear Canal (5 seconds): Reach one hand over your head and gently pull your outer ear (the pinna) up and back to straighten your ear canal.
- Insert (5 seconds): Slide the compressed earplug well into your ear canal.
- Hold and Expand (20–30 seconds): Hold the earplug in place with your finger while it expands to fill the canal.
Want Something Faster?
- Canal caps (5 seconds) can be worn around the neck and quickly inserted for short periods of time.
- Earmuffs (5 seconds) can be quickly placed over ears.
- Pre-molded reusable earplugs made of silicone (15–30 seconds).
How Long Does it Take Before You Experience Hearing Loss?
Occupational hearing loss can happen instantly from a single acoustic trauma or gradually over months or years of continuous exposure. The timeline heavily depends on the sound volume and your specific environment. For construction workers, recent research is highlighting the risk of exposure to impact, also called impulse, noise, which can cause hearing damage in less than a second.
Impulse noise in construction refers to sudden, sharp bursts of high-intensity sound from normal activities such as pile driving, jackhammering, hammer drill use, nail guns, use of pavement breakers, explosive-actuated tools, or even dropping materials onto concrete.
These sudden shockwaves easily overcome the ear’s natural protective mechanisms. They physically crush or tear the stereocilia (hair cells) inside your cochlea (inner ear). Once these hair cells are destroyed, they do not grow back. The resulting Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) is permanent.
Take a couple of minutes and insert your hearing protection before being exposed to just a few seconds of impact noise; your ears will thank you.