Our Business

Custom earplugs are ‘prescription ear wear’

August 31, 2009

Mississauga, ON – “If prescriptions for eyewear are important for workers to see properly to preserve their vision, then it makes sense for workers to take care of their hearing the same way”, so says Brad Davidson, President of HearSafe Canada Inc.

Disposable earplugs can be uncomfortable and difficult to insert so a generic disposable is simply not practical for workers with small ear canals who find the insertion of both foam and flange plugs unacceptable. Workers who are put in this situation often don’t comply with their company’s safety standards and go without hearing protection at their own peril, as well as the employer’s, or they wear disposables incorrectly having the same effect. How is a custom fit plug an effective solution?

RISK WITH DISPOSABLES

We create a custom mold by taking an impression of the ear canal. It is custom contoured to the ear to provide a unique plug that is specific to the employee in question, so comfort is maximized. With ‘disposable’ protection, you run the risk of both under and overprotection. The hazards of under protection are obvious, but over protection can lead to the constant removal of the plug on a daily basis. The result is exposure to hazardous noise, improper insertion or re-insertion, and more waste. Mr. Davidson emphasizes, “the prescription plug is set up to protect the worker from measured noise levels in their working environment without over protecting. This is achieved with the aid of fit tests and proper filtration.”

ENORMOUS WASTE

The key factors to consider when providing hearing protection are comfort, effective protection (depending on the noise contaminant) and waste. The ‘prescription plug’ is now more comfortable and also more effective in providing protection (and compliance). There is the added benefit that the workers don’t “dispose” of them twice a day as they keep them for use permanently. Mr. Davidson adds, “It’s exciting to have a great product that also contributes substantially to reducing landfill. If you do the math for a company that has 200 employees, that’s 400 pairs of disposable plugs per day, or about 100,000 per year”! Custom plugs become very cost effective by comparison.

Who We Are

ABOUT HEARSAFE CANADA INC.

Brad Davidson founded HearSafe 16 years ago in response to a huge need to prevent further hearing loss to workers in most industries. While performing mobile hearing tests across the country, he saw that the compliance issues and hearing loss could be solved by one customized plug – ‘prescription plugs’ for workers. He has also expanded his service to include customized headsets for musicians, motorcycle riders, music lovers, cell phone users and more.

Some of our clients include:

Honda (Alliston), Multiple Magna's, Nestles,  Region of Halton, Halton & Peel Police, Royal Canin Pet Food, Cogent Power...just to mention a few!

Our work with both Tech and Music teachers include: 

Toronto District School Board, York District School Board, Upper Canada District School Board, Upper Grand District School Board, Humber College...and many more.