Safety Compliance Services is pleased to announce we have added a new service for our clients. Due to the inaccuracy of published Noise Reduction Ratings (NRRs) relative to actual noise attenuation achieved by hearing protection device users, we have been advising client personnel of NIOSH study results (see chart below) and OSHA recommended de-rating of NRRs as part of our hearing conservation training for many years. The attenuation provided to wearers with improperly fitted plugs or to individuals with narrow, sharply bending or slit-shaped ear canals may be only a fraction of the labeled laboratory values. Recently, several companies have developed technologies that allow for real-world determination of the attenuation achieved by each individual user of hearing protection devices. After researching the available technology over several months last year, we have selected and acquired the FitCheck Hearing Protection Measurement System by Michael & Associates, Inc. to allow us to provide fit testing services for hearing protection devices as part of our hearing conservation training.

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