AEROSPACE
industry: Aerospace
client: Vector Aerospace
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Happy customer since 2012
“The SonoLab earplugs have been the perfect solution to us for a number of reasons: they are compatible with our other PPE equipment, they offer the highest quality ear protection available because they custom-molded, and it can be tested and proved with the attenuation system, so our occupational health team are also happy.”
Stuart Burns, Fire Service Manager at Vector Aerospace
The situation:
Vector Aerospace is an industry-leading provider of maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for aircraft across the globe. At its base in Gosport, Hampshire, the Fire Services team require high-quality noise protection, to combat high levels of aircraft noise.
The noise protection problem:
It’s a requirement of the fire service team to wear full service personal protective equipment (PPE) whilst carrying out duties on the heliport and around aircraft; however traditional overhead ear defenders are not compatible with the protective helmet.
The noise levels on site from aircraft can, on occasion, exceed 100 decibels, with the average noise levels reaching 98 decibels when tested.
Before SonoLab Instant Fit Custom Moulded Earplugs were introduced, the fire service team were forced to choose between the protection provided by their helmets and the hearing protection provided by their ear defenders.
The alternative was to use foam earplugs when the helmet was on, but the team found they did not gain the levels of hearing protection they required.
The solution:
SonoLab Instant Fit Custom Moulded Earplugs are now the preferred mandatory hearing protection for the Fire Service team at Vector Aerospace to wear. Staff members are provided with the earplugs and have recently learned the simple process of the self-fit option, which only takes six minutes to custom mould to the shape of the individual’s ear. SonoLab earplugs offer the highest levels of protection and comfortably fit underneath protective helmets. The earplugs work with the SonoLab Noise Attenuation Programme (SNAP), which tests and proves the hearing protection level which is then recorded on employees’ health surveillance forms.
Stuart Burns, Fire Service Manager at Vector Aerospace, said: “The SonoLab earplugs have been the perfect solution to us for a number of reasons. They are compatible with our other PPE equipment, they offer the highest quality ear protection available because they custom-mould, and it can be tested and proved with the attenuation system, so our occupational health team are also happy.”
“Hearing protection is a very serious consideration with aircraft; you cannot go onto the airfield anywhere without making sure you’re protected.”
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MINING
industry: Mining
client: XX
Happy customer since 2013
“We actively encourage people to use SonoLab because we know how much more protection they provide and this is seen in the attenuation testing,”
Spokesperson at mining company
The situation:
Employees in the salt mining industry regularly work in levels of noise that exceed 85 dBs, and one of the UK’s largest salt rock mining company naturally takes hearing protection very seriously. Whilst it is mandatory for staff to wear hearing protection, the company offers its team members a range of devices from which to choose.
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A spokesperson at the company says, “A choice is important; if workers don’t like what’s provided, they won’t wear it, however much we insist.”
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He was introduced to SonoLab Instant Fit Custom Moulded Earplugs as an option three years ago, and the firm decided to also use the SonoLab Noise Attenuation Programme (SNAP), as a way of demonstrating to each employee the effectiveness of the protection.
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Why SonoLab is growing in popularity amongst the staff
The spokesperson explains, “We chose SonoLab because the devices offer very high quality protection and they are comfortable. A significant benefit is the SNAP technology; we use it to prove the effectiveness to each staff member; it encourages them to use the protection all the time, because they can see how well it works.”
The team are embracing hearing protection into their work culture; all new starters are introduced to SonoLab Instant Fit Custom Moulded Earplugs as part of their induction.
Team members also benefit from the earplugs’ connectivity to other radio devices because being able to have in-ear radio communication whilst maintaining protection is extremely beneficial.
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Although some staff members at the firm still wear over-head ear muffs, the number of regular SonoLab users is rising.
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“We would rather provide several protection options than dictate what people use, as we ultimately want all our staff to feel comfortable while using the hearing protection. We only supply the best, most protective options we can find.”
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Our spokesperson says that sometimes people might seem initially intolerant to in-ear plugs. However, the more they use them and get used to how they feel, the more they appreciate the increased protection that SonoLab provides. “We actively encourage people to use SonoLab because we know how much more protection they provide and this is seen in the attenuation testing,” he concludes.
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The results:
The Managing Director of the company has used his pair of SonoLab since 2013 and is very happy with the levels of protection they provide. The take up of SonoLab as opposed to other forms of protection, is estimated to have risen to over 50%.