Improved communications and hearing protection in helmet systems: the communications earplug

Despite significant advances in hearing protection and compliance with protective standards, military personnel are still subject to noise-induced hearing loss in many combat and combat support operations. Although the Army has experienced a decrease of some 15% in primary hearing loss disability cases since 1986, a fiscal year 2000 report documents a 27.5% increase in audiograms, which demonstrated significant threshold shifts in assessed personnel (N = 841/1,077). Compensation for noise-induced hearing loss disability for the Army alone exceeded $180 million in 1998. Thus, communications and hearing protection remain critical issues for personnel involved in Army operations. Aircraft, ground vehicles, and weapons produce noise levels in excess of the limits defined in current hearing conservation standards. Performance of most helmets, improved over the years, remains marginal with regard to speech intelligibility. Furthermore, these helmets do not provide adequate hearing protection. The communications earplug, which consists of a high-quality earphone coupled with an earplug protector, provides the needed extra protection. It weighs less than 15 g and is comfortable when worn over extended periods. It is considered highly acceptable by seasoned Army aviators and crewmembers.