Frequently asked questions

On average, otoplastics last for 5 years. Because the outer ear changes differently and at different rates for everyone, the individual lifespan can vary greatly from person to person.

That is why we recommend performing an annual leak test instead of replacing the otoplastics after a fixed number of years. This has two major advantages:

• Safety: You prevent someone from walking around with leaking earplugs for years (false sense of security).
• Cost savings: You only replace the otoplastics when they really no longer seal properly, and not unnecessarily early.

We provide custom-made hearing protection in six steps.

• Contact & assessment: You contact us. We will assess your specific requirements, the number of users and your preferences.
• Quotation: Based on this conversation, you will receive a suitable quotation.
• Planning: After you have agreed and completed the customer form, we will schedule an appointment with our product specialist in consultation with you.
• On-site measuring: Our specialist will visit you. He can measure approximately 10 people per hour.
• Production: The ear impressions are processed into otoplastics in our laboratory.
• Delivery with leak test: We will return within four weeks of the initial assessment to deliver the sets. We will provide instructions and perform a leak test to guarantee 100% safety.

The maintenance session will be completely useless without the users. The most important part of the maintenance is the leakproof test. During this test, the product specialist tests whether the otoplastics still blocks the ear canals adequately. In addition to this, the dialogue between the user and the product specialist is very important. Based on the experience, adjustments, such as the damping, can be made.

The product specialist delivers the otoplastics on site. Upon delivery, an instruction is given and the otoplastics are tested for leak-tightness. If the otoplastics show a leak, new ear impressions can be taken immediately. The user can also immediately indicate whether the otoplastics feel good or not. The specialist also supports the user in the exercise to insert the otoplastics properly. We therefore strongly recommend a presence of the users. Suppose someone is unexpectedly absent, we leave the otoplastics set up and test them during another appointment.

The choice between hard and soft otoplastics depends on the working environment, hygiene requirements and personal preference.

Hard otoplastics (acrylate): These are made from a hard, durable plastic.

• Superior hygiene: Due to their smooth surface, dirt, earwax and bacteria hardly adhere to them. They are very quick and easy to wipe clean. Due to their high cleanability, hard otoplastics are preferred in the food sector.
• Easy insertion: Because the material is smooth, they slide effortlessly into the ear. This is ideal for employees who frequently need to insert and remove their hearing protection (e.g. managers).
• Fit & movement: Because the material is rigid, it does not bend. If you talk or chew a lot, it can sometimes feel uncomfortable and a tiny gap can sometimes form, allowing sound to leak in.
• Durability: Hard ones are less prone to normal wear and tear, making them the most durable, but they can crack or break more easily if dropped on a hard concrete floor.

Soft otoplastics (silicone): These are made from flexible silicone material.

• Maximum comfort: The material is soft and flexible. This reduces the risk of pressure points or irritation in the ear canal, making them ideal for long shifts.
• Constant protection: Because silicone is flexible, it moves with the ear canal. Even when you talk, laugh or chew, the seal remains intact.
• Comfort and safety under the helmet: Soft material is more comfortable and safer for wearers of safety helmets. In the event of a blow to the head, the material gives way instead of passing the impact on to the ear.
• Slightly more difficult to use: Silicone has more friction: it does not slide over the skin. Insertion sometimes requires a twisting motion, and it can attract dust more quickly if touched with dirty hands.
• Slightly smaller occlusion effect: Because silicone is flexible and has a lower density than hard acrylic, it absorbs vibrations from the ear canal wall better. This often makes your own voice sound more natural and less muffled.
• Durability: Soft otoplastics wear out a bit faster and don't last as long. They also tend to discolour over time. But they're more shock-resistant and pretty much indestructible if dropped. They bounce instead of breaking.

In summary:

• Choose hard if hygiene is crucial (food), if the earplugs need to be inserted and removed very often, and if they need to last as long as possible (durability).
• Choose soft for maximum comfort during long days, when talking/moving a lot, or in heavy industry/construction where a helmet is worn.

The external anatomy of the ear changes in a unique way and speed with each person. This means that the otoplastics of one person already leaks after 2 years and of the other only after 8 years. For example, if a company decides to replace all otoplastics after 5 years, the first person will have walked around with leaking earplugs for 3 years with the associated harmful consequences. With the second person, the otoplastics are replaced unnecessarily and the company incurs unnecessary costs. It is therefore strongly recommended to test otoplastics for leak-tightness at least annually. In addition, during a maintenance appointment, a dialogue is created between the specialist and the user, and any problems can be addressed and resolved.

Within the context of the working conditions policy, the employer must record in writing which risks the work entails in an inventory and evaluation. This risk inventory and evaluation contains a description of the hazards and the risk-limiting measures indicated in an action plan. Noise poses both auditory and non-auditory risks to the health and well-being of exposed people. The soundscape must therefore be identified and kept up to date.

Please contact us via telephone, email, or via the website. We will inform you about the process that must be followed. We will find a date and time that suits us both when our specialist will come to your premises, without obligation to give suggestions about the measurement locations. If you have a list of such measurement locations, such a visit is not necessary. A quotation is prepared based on the list. After we reach an agreement, we will decide an a measurement day when the audiologist can come and perform the measurements on sit. You will receive the noise report a few days after the measurement day.

The Tympro employee starts with his measurements at the agreed time. This normally starts when the earliest work shift starts. The participants who represent the agreed measurement locations each receive a sound dosimeter. They are asked to keep a time schedule of their activities and locations. During the measurement day, the audiologist walks around and takes manual measurements at several locations and takes notes. At the end of the shift, the dosimeters and time schedules are collected.

The otoplastics are delivered within 4 weeks after the time of measurement. Tympro takes care of the delivery itself, whereby the specialist gives personal instructions to the new user and performs a leak-tightness test on the otoplastics. The leak tightness test is only possible if the user is present, as the otoplastics are tested in the ears.

In South Africa, the rules are governed by the Noise Exposure Regulations, 2024. Companies should focus on two distinct thresholds: the standard Noise-Rating Limit and the more specific Noise Action Level.

1. The critical thresholds

The law defines specific levels at which an environment becomes a 'Noise Zone'. If your workplace meets these criteria, strict obligations apply.

• The standard limit (Noise-Rating Limit):

  • Continuous noise: An 8-hour rating level (LEX,8h) of 85 dBA or higher.

  • Impulse noise: A peak noise level (LCpeak) of 137 dB(C) or higher.

• The lower limit (Noise Action Level):
  • This applies specifically if employees are also exposed to ototoxic chemical agents (chemicals that damage hearing) or whole-body vibration.

  • Continuous noise: An 8-hour rating level of 82 dB(A) or higher.

  • Impulse noise: A peak noise level of 135 dB(C) or higher.

2. Obligations in a 'noise zone'

If an area or a piece of machinery exceeds the limits mentioned above, it is legally classified as a noise zone.

• Mandatory entry: No person is allowed to enter or remain in a noise zone unless they are wearing effective hearing protective devices (HPDs).

• Demarcation: The employer must clearly demarcate these zones (or mobile machinery) with visible signage.

• Employee duty: Employees are legally obligated to inspect, use, and wear their HPDs strictly in accordance with training and instructions.

In general, we recommend daily use of the wet wipes and weekly use of the cleaning set with active oxygen tablets. Obviously, this also depends on the person. The one user produces more earwax than the next. There are also major differences between different sectors. For example, in the metal industry, the otoplastics will get dirty more quickly. In the food sector, on the other hand, stricter hygiene requirements apply and the otoplastics will have to be cleaned more quickly.

A cleaning set consists of a cleaning cup with filter, a bellows and 8 cleaning tablets with active oxygen. You place a cleaning tablet in a cup. Then place the filter in the cup on which you place your set of otoplastics. Now fill the cup with water and let it fizz for several hours. Finally, place the bellows on the filter and blow the moisture out of the otoplastics. The product specialist will demonstrate this action when delivering the otoplastics.

The otoplastics must be blue.

It must be detectable. This is solved by adding a metal ball to the design.

Tympro recommends an acrylic version because these are the easiest to clean and the most hygienic. In addition, we also recommend using a cord so that they cannot just fall, the cord is also available in a blue detectable version, especially for the food industry.

Your back-office contact will select a time in the specialist's calendar when he or she will be in the yard area. The specialist will then visit the site to measure your employees in the site shed. Next, the set of otoplastics are also delivered.

The Tympro Sound Safe has an adjustable damping. When setting the damping, we always first look at the noise levels to which the user is exposed. Taking this into account, we will always avoid over-damping so that speech comprehension and hearing important sounds are preserved as much as possible.

When determining the damping values, first and foremost, the protective base is taken into account. This is determined based on the sound levels in the company. We base this on noise reports prepared in the past by us or by another party. If there are no measurements of this, we will make an estimate based on the industry and activities. Secondly, the avoidance of overprotection (too large attenuation value) is always taken into account, which in itself leads to higher acceptance of the hearing protection, which is of course beneficial for hearing health. The manageable attenuation values of otoplastics have an adjustment range between 20 dB and 35 dB.

First of all, this is legally required. Employees who are exposed to a daily dose from 80 decibels are given the opportunity to periodically undergo an occupational health examination in the form of audiometry. A personal medical file is kept about this. Audiometry is primarily performed to identify early trends in any hearing loss among the customer's employees. When (incipient) hearing damage is established, timely action can be taken and measures can be taken to prevent further deterioration of hearing.

Tympro always follows the data protection rules to the maximum. In addition, the participants of the study each select the desired level of anonymity.

This is legally required. Employees who are exposed to a daily dose of 80 decibels or more must be informed and instructed about the risks of noise exposure. This concerns, among other things, the nature of the risks, the measures taken, the established limit and action values, the results and explanation of the noise measurement, hearing protection, how to determine and report hearing damage, the rights applicable to health supervision, and safe working methods.

We notice from our customers that participants of the toolbox are extra motivated after the meeting to protect their hearing. They have learned that hearing damage is permanent and that the consequences of hearing damage can have a major impact on their future well-being.

The auditory canal has a self-cleaning mechanism whereby earwax is expelled naturally. In some people, this process regularly goes wrong and earwax continues to accumulate, causing a hardened cerumen plug.

A clogged ear is an important reason for not having a fitting. If the product specialist wishes to insert a cotton wool and inject mould paste into the ear canal, there is a risk that the hard and sometimes sharp cerumen plug will be pushed in even further and damage the eardrum. In addition, the ear impression will not be representative enough to make a good otoplastic from it.

If Tympro will visit soon to take ear impressions, it is advisable for people who regularly have cerumen plugs to visit their GP (just) before the appointment to remove the cerumen plug. Otherwise, there is a risk that the staff member and the product specialist will have to make a second fitting appointment with each other. So keep each other well informed about Tympro fitting times.