We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Learn more ›
Earplugs for work mean different things to different people. Here at PopSci, we tend to get preachy about wearing earplugs because when worn correctly, they’re just about 100-percent effective at protecting your ears from damage caused by everyday loud sounds.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 22 million workers are exposed to potentially damaging noise at work each year. When it comes to noise-induced hearing loss, there’s no reset button. The damage can be gradual, creeping up over decades, or it can happen in an instant after, say, an explosion or even a loud rock concert. Once your hearing is compromised, it’s compromised for life. That said, we recognize that people want to wear the best earplugs for work for many reasons, and if you’re in a typical office setting, you’re likely looking for earplugs to block out distractions so you can focus rather than prevent injury (so we have recommendations for that, too).
How we chose the best earplugs for work
Fortunately or unfortunately for the reviewers here at PopSci, urban environments are incredibly noisy places that present endless opportunities to evaluate hearing protection. (In fact, the UN has declared urban noise pollution a top environmental threat, impacting both physical and mental health.) We compared our own experiences using earplugs, including many of the products here, in various scenarios: working in offices, commuting, attending concerts, and even sleeping. It’s difficult to measure the actual attenuation level offered by earplugs without specialized equipment, so we relied on the provided specs and anecdotal experience for that. However, we were able to evaluate fit, comfort, and usability across a range of ear shapes and sizes, keeping in mind the risk factors that may be encountered on job sites.
How…
Read the full article here