Employees wear their hearing protection when it stays comfortable for the whole shift, when they can still hear colleagues and signals, and when wearing it is normal in the workplace. So choose custom protection with a suitable filter, give information again and again, have managers set a good example and check that it is used. The Dutch Working Conditions Act (Arbowet) requires this too.
Handing out hearing protection is the easy part. According to a 2014 report by the Nationale Hoorstichting (Dutch National Hearing Foundation), based on the Netherlands Working Conditions Survey (Nationale Enquête Arbeidsomstandigheden), almost half (47.9%) of the people who work in noise did not wear hearing protection. Another 16.7% did not wear it consistently. In this article, you will read why that is and what you can do about it as an employer.
For teams of 10 or more people, we take the ear impressions on site, based on a quote. If an employee goes to a partner hearing centre on their own, the ear impressions are included in the price and payment goes through the hearing centre.
Why hearing protection stays in the pocket
The Nationale Hoorstichting distinguishes personal, social and situational reasons. In practice, they often come together.
It isn't comfortable
Lack of comfort is one of the reasons given for not wearing hearing protection consistently. Earmuffs get warm. A foam earplug presses or slides out of the ear. Anyone who is bothered by that every shift takes the protection off for a moment more and more often. When earmuffs fit better and when earplugs do is explained in earplugs or earmuffs.
I can't understand my colleagues
Hearing protection does not always go well with other tasks. An employee hears a colleague or a signal less clearly and takes the earplug out to understand what is being said. Too much attenuation, also called overprotection, makes this worse. Your own voice can also sound strange. That is called the occlusion effect.
It doesn't look tough
Company culture counts. If the general view is that you don't need to protect yourself, fewer people wear hearing protection. Conversations held by the Nationale Hoorstichting also showed that teams whose manager does not wear hearing protection often use it less.
I don't notice anything anyway
Hearing damage from noise develops slowly. Many employees do not know that this damage is permanent and that short peaks count too. That is why it does not feel urgent. Also read the first signs of hearing damage.
It's in the car
Sometimes it is that simple. The hearing protection is not there when the noise starts, or the employee has forgotten it.
Taking it off for a moment costs more than you think
The Nationale Hoorstichting gives a worked example. Someone works a whole day in 100 dB wearing earmuffs that reduce the noise by 20 dB. That brings them to 80 dB. If they take the earmuffs off for a quarter of an hour, for example because they are too warm, they get 100 dB again for that quarter of an hour. Because every extra 3 dB doubles the sound energy, that one quarter of an hour counts as heavily as a whole working day unprotected in 85 dB. So hearing protection that employees like wearing achieves more than stronger attenuation that comes off now and then.
What does help?
The guideline on preventing occupational hearing loss from the NVAB, the Netherlands Society of Occupational Medicine, names wearing comfort and motivation as standing points for attention. These are the measures that match them.
| Reason for not wearing it | What you can do about it |
|---|---|
| Not comfortable | Custom protection, with a choice of material |
| Cannot understand colleagues and signals | A filter that matches the noise at that workplace |
| Not needed or not tough | Information, toolbox talks and setting an example |
| Forgotten or lost | A fixed place, a case and a recognisable colour or logo |
Custom protection that stays in for the whole shift
The NVAB advises offering enough choice and names custom earplugs as a suitable choice for continuous exposure to noise. A custom earplug is made from an impression of the wearer's ear. Soft silicone is flexible, and hard acrylic is sturdy and easy to clean. See all custom earplugs or the collection hearing protection for work.
The right filter, not the strongest
Choose the attenuation based on the noise measurements. Too little does not protect. Too much cuts people off from their surroundings. Audibling works with interchangeable membrane filters.
- DI for construction, industry, logistics, food and pharma, see earplugs for construction and earplugs for food and pharma;
- DR for offices, healthcare and education, see earplugs for the office;
- DM for hospitality and events, where talking with guests and colleagues matters;
- DIM for impulse noise, such as shooting.
All values are on the filter page. You will find examples for each sector on industry and construction, food industry, transport and logistics and hospitality and events.
Information that sticks
According to the NVAB, information works best when you repeat it, individually and in groups. Make it concrete. Have employees insert their earplugs on the spot and correct them where needed. Use pictures and spoken explanations, and an interpreter or trainer who speaks their own language if needed.
A ten-minute toolbox talk
The NVAB recommends making noise and hearing protection a regular item in team meetings. A short toolbox talk in the workplace fits in well with that. Possible topics are these.
- where the noise is in the department and what the measurements say;
- how to insert a custom earplug correctly and check it;
- the worked example of the quarter of an hour without protection;
- which signs of hearing damage you can notice and who to report them to.
Managers setting an example
The NVAB asks for managers to be involved in the information and to be encouraged to set an example. A team leader who wears hearing protection in the noise zone and reminds colleagues to do the same makes wearing it normal.
Company style and your own logo
Hearing protection that employees are proud of is less likely to be left in the car. You choose from six colours, and a custom colour is possible by arrangement. You can see the options in the Designlab. From 10 pairs, we print your own logo on them. This logo print is patent pending. A recognisable custom earplug is less likely to get lost and more likely to find its way back to its owner. Read more on our page about custom earplugs with a logo.
What the Working Conditions Act requires of you
Under the Dutch Working Conditions Decree (Arbobesluit), you provide hearing protection when daily exposure is above 80 dB(A). From 85 dB(A), wearing it is mandatory. With the protection in the ear, 87 dB(A) must never be exceeded. Article 8.3 of the Working Conditions Decree goes further than making it available. You must also make sure that employees use their protective equipment. Article 8.1 requires protective equipment to meet ergonomic requirements and to be suitable for the wearer.
Article 6.11 lists topics for the information you give. Think of the risks of noise, the measurement results, the correct use of hearing protectors and how signs of hearing damage can be detected and reported. Employees in turn have a duty to use protective equipment correctly (Article 11 of the Working Conditions Act). The full overview is in what the Working Conditions Act says about hearing protection at work.
How to go about it
- Map the noise in the risk inventory and evaluation (RI&E) and tackle the source first.
- Choose the filter and material for each workplace, together with the employees.
- Have everyone's ear impressions taken. For 10 or more people, we come to you. Smaller teams go to a partner hearing centre via Find a hearing centre.
- Introduce them with a toolbox talk and practise inserting them.
- Keep following up. Keep an eye on things in the workplace, discuss it in team meetings and have the fit checked with a fit check.
Want to know what this costs for your team? The calculator on our business page gives you an estimate straight away.
Frequently asked questions
Can an employee refuse to wear hearing protection?
From a daily exposure of 85 dB(A), employees must wear hearing protection. The Working Conditions Act also requires them to use protective equipment correctly. If someone refuses, first ask why. The problem is often comfort or being able to understand others.
Who pays for the hearing protection?
The employer. Under Article 44 of the Working Conditions Act, the costs of the working conditions rules may not be passed on to employees. Also read custom earplugs reimbursed?
Which attenuation should I choose for my team?
That depends on the measurements at each workplace. Choose enough attenuation to stay below the limits, but not so much that people can no longer understand each other. For construction and industry, that is usually a DI filter. For offices, it is usually a DR filter.
Do you come to us to take the ear impressions?
Yes, if 10 or more people work at your company. Smaller teams have their ear impressions taken at a partner hearing centre. The custom earplugs are ready about three weeks after the ear impressions are taken.
Sources
- Nationale Hoorstichting, Preventie van gehoorschade op de werkvloer (preventing hearing damage in the workplace, 2014, in Dutch)
- NVAB, Multidisciplinaire richtlijn Preventie beroepsslechthorendheid (guideline on preventing occupational hearing loss, 2006, in Dutch)
- Arboportaal, Wat zegt de wet over lawaai op het werk? (what the law says about noise at work, in Dutch)
- Arbeidsomstandighedenbesluit (Working Conditions Decree), Articles 6.11, 8.1 and 8.3, via wetten.overheid.nl, in Dutch
- Arbeidsomstandighedenwet (Working Conditions Act), Articles 11 and 44, via wetten.overheid.nl, in Dutch
Last updated 7 October 2026.
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