Worker rights, particularly health and safety and due process in risky environments, are vital to the employer-employee relationship and by extension, the effectiveness of a company.
Whether it's a fleet of contracted Man-in-a-Van blokes or the workforce of a factory floor, hands-on jobs require hands-on tech that delivers.
Get your hands on some good work headphones with built-in ear protection and maximise your safety, comfort, efficiency and work costs!
What Goes Into a Pair of Good Work Headphones?
When it comes to using headphones, or any other tech, in a PPE environment there are some key features to look out for.
- SNR (Single Number Rating) - The SNR of a pair of industrial noise cancelling headphones is paramount. When exposed to loud noise for a prolonged period, workers eardrums can become damaged and there can be long-term effects on their hearing. SNR is a simple measure of how many Decibels the headphones lower noise by. For example, an SNR of 30dB lowers an 80dB sound to just 50dB.
- Wireless Communication and Interference - Depending on the work environment, you may need to rule out any Bluetooth devices and stick to wired AUX headphones. This is usually due to the interference with other, more important, wireless communication (Such as on a plane).
But, in the majority of cases Bluetooth and other wireless features are acceptable. In fact, having Bluetooth industrial headphones can increase communication at the workplace, and maximise efficiency. - Battery and Power Consumption - Ear protection needs to work regardless of power and battery use. In an environment where you need to knuckle-down and work, you can't be forced to stop when you get a "Low battery" beep in your ear. To that end, Passive Noise Cancellation is better for work, as it is always "on" regardless of any battery remaining.
When it comes to the audio output and communication, battery life should be in excess of 2 days of working time. Any less than this runs the risk of the device not being charged on time, and being unavailable for a job, shift or bit of site work. - Long-Term Comfort - If the battery is going to last and the noise cancellation is permanent, there's nothing stopping you using good work headphones for hours on end. In that case, the long-term comfort of the headphones is also vital. While comfort might seem like a luxury or optional preference, it's actually of vital importance. An uncomfortable worker is distracted, more prone to mistakes, less patient, and all this makes them more at risk of injury. Not to mention, that a pair of uncomfortable headphones resting in the same place every day could create long-term damage to the skin, or cause headaches.
- Accessible Controls - The best Bluetooth PPE headphones need to have large, accessible button controls that don't faff about with touch-sensitive inputs. You need big buttons with big clicks that are easy to turn on and off to respond to colleagues or emergencies.
With these key features in mind, the best Bluetooth headphones for construction workers will be low-power, long-lasting, Passive Noise Cancelling and have thickly padded earpieces. But, more than that they must also be quick and easy to use, with minimal distraction from work and minimal risk to the wearer.
Bluetooth Ear Protection ranges from as low as 22dB SNR all the way to the 40s! However, you need to make sure you balance any increase in SNR with the potential increased power draw, size, weight and cost of the headphones.
For independents, you don't want to be spending half a whole pay on a pair of headphones and for employers, you need to supply potentially vast quantities of these defenders to have availability on-site every day, so unit price is definitely a factor.
Bluetooth Ear Protection Made Cheap and Accessible
The August EP120 noise cancelling headphone for work aim to bridge all these gaps. While the statistics like SNR are lower than some pairs, the battery life is far larger and the unit weight and cost is far lower. By focussing on workplace use, the EP120 can cut out all the unnecessary guff and get right to the point with big earmuffs, big control buttons, and 30dB SNR of passive, unpowered noise cancellation.
This means the 30db noise reduction is in place even if the headphone battery (120 hours of working time) does run out, so the most important safety feature of the headphones is never lost. You can read up on the differences between Active, Passive and Digital noise cancellation here.
Weighing Up Workplace Headphones
When you're weighing up the cost of these devices and features like SNR or battery life, it can be hard to know what compromise is worth the cost.
Will a reduced battery life increase risk? Most likely in ANC headphones, but less so in Passive ones.
Is an SNR of 35dB markedly better than 30dB? Considering the recommended SNR for shooting is 25dB, and for prolonged high-volume tool usage is the same, you don't need to go too crazy when it comes to finding an absurdly high SNR. Once you exceed that 25dB minimum you will be reducing 85dB noises (the lowest volume that legally requires protection for prolonged exposure) to under 70dB.
Is Bluetooth a valuable addition? When factoring in Bluetooth costs, they're really negligible in most cases. A decent pair of work headphones will have the option for both wired and wireless use, so you can easily carry on using them when they are out of charge or opt to no enable the Bluetooth at all, sticking to cables. Finding a modern pair that meet your other requirements and don't have Bluetooth might even be harder!
Choose EP120 For the Best of Both
After considering all these features and compromises, a balanced pair of headphones such as the EP120's are the best bet for both individuals and employers. By avoiding the largest names in the biz you save yourself some money, while still ensuring the SNR meets standard at 30dB while not even needing charge thanks to Passive Noise Cancellation and AUX cable connectivity.
If you are interested in a large supply of EP120 do reach out to us directly so we can potentially arrange a trade order for you. As a small UK business we are keen to help others like us when we can!
For anyone looking into occupational health and safety I also recommend reading the information about the Audar E2 vital sign and SOS watch, which uses an innovative dual-mode IoT connection to track employee vitals through a wearable.
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