Hearing Protector Device Compendium
View the Hearing Protector Device Compendium
In
2000, NIOSH researchers initiated a new effort to collect data published
by manufacturers of hearing protectors sold in the United States.
The new data was sought to augment or replace the data last collected
by NIOSH for the 1994 Hearing Protector Compendium (DHHS(NIOSH)
Pub. No. 95-105). The data included the mean attenuations and standard
deviations of the attenuations provided by the manufacturers on
labeling required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Also
provided were data about protector construction, materials, and
other features that may aid in selection of protectors for specific
situations. All companies listed in various industry, technical,
and professional directories were invited to submit data. Many companies
that were listed in the 1994 compendium have merged with other companies
or have ceased to manufacturer or sell hearing protectors. The present
compendium, as of June 2003, contains data from 23 manufacturers
nationwide (down from 53 in the 1994 compendium) on 292 hearing
protectors (up from 241 in the 1994 compendium). Although only 23
of the 67 companies contacted responded to the request for data,
these 23 represent a majority of the market share. There are no
data in the compendium other than those provided by the manufacturers.
In the pursuit of completeness all other manufacturers are welcome
to submit their data.
Credits
John R. Franks supervised the development of and writing
of this compendium. Pamela S. Graydon compiled the data and supporting
information from the manufacturers. Jihong (Jane) Chen developed
the web-page and the search system employed by the compendium with
assistance from Stephen R. Leonard and Rohit Verma. William J. Murphy
provided the data for the section on hearing protectors for hunters
and shooters.
The complete database may be viewed and printed with Adobe Reader
4.0 or higher. Also viewable and printable with Adobe Reader is
the complete tutorial on how the NRR and other rating systems are
calculated. Development of this compendium was partially supported
through an interagency agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (DW 75-9390401-3).
Disclaimer: Mention of any company name or product does not
constitute endorsement by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
|