Impulse Noise Attenuation: Hearing Protection and Communication in a Military Environment

Military training creates unique noise hazards including high impulse noise content. The need for hearing protection needs to be considered alongside the need for effective voice communication. This requires a hearing protector with high impulse protection that minimally impedes low intensity voice communication. These level dependant devices are called non-linear hearing protectors. A range of commercial plugs both linear and non-linear and one home made non-linear plug (a modified commercial plug) were tested to determine the suitability of each against the criteria stated above. Two commercial plugs were identified as possibly suitable and interestingly the home made plug performed comparably to these plugs. This study provides direction for future research to determine the best hearing protector for military situations taking into consideration level of protection, need for communication, operational suitability and cost.