Hearing protection for transport and logistics
In the cab it is usually quiet. The noise is in loading and unloading, in the warehouse and at the customer's site. Custom earplugs reduce that noise. You still hear reversing alarms, forklifts and colleagues. With a case in the cab, and with your logo.
Where is the noise in logistics?
The Arbocatalogus Transport en Logistiek shows that the difference per location is large. A modern cab is quiet, but a loader crane, a building site or the cold zone of a distribution centre is not.
Typical noise sources
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Lorry cab at 80 km/hIn a new lorry on asphalt, hearing damage is not to be expected≤ 70 dB(A)
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Unloading at third partiesWith noise on the building site or at the customer's, the driver wears hearing protection from 80 dB(A)≥ 80 dB(A)
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Lorry-mounted craneWhen buying one, less than 80 dB(A) is the starting pointtarget < 80 dB(A)
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Crates, pallets and packagingMainly empties, in storage and dispatchDispatch
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Cooling systems and internal transportNamed as a noise source in storage and dispatchDispatch
What you need to keep hearing
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Reversing alarmsFrom lorries at the dock and forklifts in the warehouse.
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Horns and sirensIf you take your earplugs on the road, you still need to hear the traffic around you.
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Instructions during loading and unloadingFrom the colleague who guides you to the dock or receives the load.
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Evacuation alarm in the DCIn a large hall with machines, the alarm must stay clearly audible everywhere.
Based on the Arbocatalogus Transport en Logistiek from STL (cab, building materials transport, warehouse and distribution centre), Arbocatalogus Vleessector, storage and dispatch and VVN, all in Dutch. The threshold values are on Arboportaal, the Dutch government's website on working conditions.
In transport and logistics, you choose hearing protection per location
A driver, an order picker and a forklift driver in the cold zone each have a different noise profile. So the choice of hearing protection starts with the question of where someone spends their day.
Drivers do not wear them in the cab, but they do when unloading
According to STL, the noise in the cab of a new lorry at 80 km/h on asphalt does not go above 70 dB(A). Hearing damage is not to be expected there. The noise comes from others. When unloading on a building site or at a manufacturer, the level can be above 80 dB(A). The catalogue for building materials transport says the driver then wears hearing protection.
Custom earplugs kept in their case in the cab are quick to put in, and come out again after unloading. Driving with earplugs is not prohibited in the Netherlands. VVN, the Dutch road safety association, does advise that you keep hearing horns and sirens clearly. In a quiet cab, hearing protection is not needed while driving.
You can read more about earplugs behind the wheel in can you wear earplugs in traffic?
Hearing protection in the warehouse
In a warehouse or distribution centre, the noise rarely comes from one machine. Forklifts and reach trucks, sorting belts and roller conveyors, pallets and crates being stacked and the cooling systems all add up. How loud that is together differs per hall and per zone. A measurement for the RI&E shows where you are above 80 or 85 dB(A).
For the warehouse, STL gives a practical rule of thumb. If you have to raise your voice at a distance of 1 metre, there is a risk of hearing damage. When buying work equipment, the employer should make sure that all machines together in a room stay below 80 dB(A). If that is not possible, signs at the entrance to the noisy areas show that hearing protection must be worn. In food logistics, the meat sector names crates, pallets, cooling systems and internal transport as sources.
Someone who spends the whole shift at a sorting belt can have a different noise exposure from a forklift driver who drives through the whole hall. So determine the attenuation per job. And make sure everyone keeps hearing the signals. Forklifts and pallet trucks drive between the people, so you must notice a horn, a reversing alarm or a colleague's warning even with hearing protection in. Too much attenuation is a real safety risk here.
The filter reduces noise and you stay alert
A DI filter gives flat attenuation of the low frequencies, so speech and signals stay audible, and it attenuates more in the high, harmful part of machine noise. The DI series ranges from 22 to 26 dB SNR. For anyone who is only exposed to noise now and then, a lighter DR filter may suit better. The filter is interchangeable.
Too much attenuation is also a reason why people take their earplugs out. You can read what does work in how to make sure employees actually wear their hearing protection.
What a transport company needs to arrange
The thresholds are the same as in any sector. Above 80 dB(A) you provide hearing protection and give information. From 85 dB(A) wearing it is mandatory and you mark the zones. 87 dB(A) is the limit value in the ear. For transport, also include in the RI&E the noise at customers' sites and on building sites where drivers unload. There you have no control over the source yourself.
Drivers as your business card
At the customer's site, a driver is the face of the company. Custom earplugs in the company colour with a logo fit that role. In a lorry, between pallets or on a loading platform, a loose earplug is quickly lost. An eye-catching colour then stands out and is recognisable as company property. A cord, clip and case keep them together.
Sources
- STL Arbocatalogus, Geluid in de vrachtwagencabine (in Dutch)
- STL Arbocatalogus, Lawaai bij bouwmaterialenvervoer (in Dutch)
- STL Arbocatalogus, Geluid in warehouse, distributiecentrum en magazijn (in Dutch)
- Arbocatalogus Vleessector, Aanpak schadelijk geluid (in Dutch)
- VVN, Koptelefoon of oordopjes dragen tijdens het autorijden of fietsen (in Dutch)
- Arboportaal, wat zegt de wet over geluid (in Dutch)
Hearing protection checklist for the workplace
Six sections with checklist items on three A4 pages, from noise measurement and RI&E to information and the hearing test. Each item shows the article from the Working Conditions Decree or the Working Conditions Act, and the last page has an action list. The checklist is in Dutch.
Ear impressions for crews and drivers
Even when not everyone is at the site at the same time.
Who works where?
We divide the team into warehouse, loading and unloading, and driving. That way each group gets the right attenuation.
Ear impressions at your site
From 10 employees, we come to the DC or your site and take ear impressions around the shift change.
On siteDrivers on the road
Anyone who is not at the site has their ear impressions taken at a partner hearing centre.
Ready about three weeks later
Everyone gets their own custom earplugs with a case. Lost them? Then we arrange a replacement quickly.
Custom earplugs for transport and logistics
Questions from transport and logistics
Can a driver wear earplugs while driving?
It is not prohibited in the Netherlands to wear earplugs while driving. VVN does advise that you keep hearing ambient sounds such as horns and sirens clearly. According to STL, the noise in a modern cab stays below 70 dB(A), so hearing protection is usually not needed while driving.
Can I still hear forklifts and reversing alarms?
Yes, provided the attenuation suits the situation. Do not choose more attenuation than the measurement calls for. A DI filter lets speech and signals through better than an ordinary earplug, which attenuates unevenly.
Our drivers are rarely at the site. How do they get their ear impressions taken?
That is possible at a partner hearing centre, at a time that fits the schedule. That way nobody has to make a detour for the fitting day.
Does the employer also need to take noise at the customer's site into account?
Yes. Include the workplaces of drivers and loaders in the RI&E, even if they are on a building site or at a customer's site. STL explicitly mentions noise from third parties. From 80 dB(A), the driver wears hearing protection.
What if a driver loses their custom earplugs?
In an eye-catching colour with a logo, they are found sooner. If they are gone anyway, we arrange a replacement quickly.