Howard Leight VeriPRO aural testing system

With noise-induced hearing loss a serious issue for many workers, Howard Leight by Honeywell has introduced the VeriPRO system, a way to assess and monitor workers’ aural health.

Developed in conjunction with the House Ear Institute in the US, the system has field verification technology that makes it simple to get an accurate picture of employees’ hearing protection and requirements.

The software shows whether a worker is receiving optimal protection, requires additional training on how to fit their earplugs or needs a different sized or shaped protector. It also assesses the personal attentuation rating (PAR) that an employee receives from their earplugs.

The three-part process checks the effectiveness of a worker’s earplug in each ear over a range of frequencies, with the results then captured in individual reports that can be accessed by the relevant safety manager.

Should the PAR indicate that an employee is underprotected or overprotected, the safety manager then has the opportunity to refit the earplug for optimal attentuation or select a more appropriate earplug for the noise environment. The system works with earplugs from any manufacturer.

The kit comes with CD-ROM software with a specially designed interface for users, audiometrically balanced headphones that are specifically constructed to provide optimal audio output and greater backset of the speaker for testing earplugs, and an audioprocessor that plugs into the USB port of a computer to power the system and serve as an external sound card and headphone amplifier.

For ease of use, each kit includes a quick reference guide that provides basic instruction on getting started, how to use the program, understand the reporting and conduct troubleshooting.