An often overlooked requirement in the HCP standard (1910.95) requires each hearing protector provided by the employer be evaluated using 1910.95 Appendix B to ensure that each one will attenuate the noise level down to a prescribed exposure limit; either 90 dBA or 85 dBA if the user has suffered a standard threshold shift (STS).
This logic is similar to our analysis of our respiratory protection factors, which ensures a high enough protection factor for the degree of hazard exposure.
1910.95(j)(1) states: