01

Today’s verified habit quote

“Individual in-person demonstrations and video instructions proved to be the most effective training modalities.”

Samelli et al., immediate laboratory study of 52 inexperienced adults

02

Why this habit matters

A foam earplug does not provide its package rating automatically. Its seal depends on the protector, the person, and how it is fitted. Practicing in a quiet place before the noise begins gives you time to follow the instructions instead of rushing at the edge of the hazard.

This is a fitting rehearsal, not permission to enter any noisy setting. Eliminating or reducing noise comes first. The protector must match the measured exposure and workplace rules, and individual fit testing is the best way to estimate the protection a particular person actually receives.

03

Start with one small practice

Clean hands → roll, pull, and hold → check before noise

  1. In a quiet, clean place, confirm that the rated disposable slow-recovery foam plugs are the ones selected for the task. Wash and dry your hands, read the product instructions, and roll each plug into a small, thin cylinder without creases.
  2. For each ear, reach over your head with the opposite hand and gently pull the top of the ear up and back. Insert the rolled plug as its instructions show, then hold it in place for 20 to 30 seconds while it expands. Stop if fitting causes pain.
  3. Count aloud while slowly cupping and uncupping both ears. If your voice or surrounding sound changes a lot, refit with a clean new pair or choose another approved protector. Confirm alarms and communication remain usable, and get individual fit testing rather than relying on this check to prove protection.

Two minutes is a practical rehearsal window, not a research-tested dose. NIOSH specifies holding each soft foam plug for 20 to 30 seconds while it expands; the studies tested instruction and measured fit, not this exact routine. A voice-and-cup check can flag a poor seal but cannot calculate attenuation. Follow the product instructions, exposure assessment, and workplace hearing-conservation plan; use double protection where required, and do not use ordinary noise-cancelling earbuds unless they are rated and selected as hearing protection for that exposure.

04

What the science can—and cannot—say

Instruction improved measured fit in a randomized laboratory study

A 2025 randomized study enrolled 52 university students with no hearing-protector experience. Groups of 13 received an individual demonstration, read the package, watched a video, or received no instruction. Afterward, all three instruction groups had higher personal attenuation ratings than the no-instruction group with both the threshold-based REAT method and the microphone-based MIRE method.

For changes from before to after instruction, the demonstration, package, and video groups differed from control with REAT; the demonstration and video groups differed from control with MIRE. The assessment was immediate, used one insert protector in an acoustically treated booth, and did not test workplace use, long-term hearing outcomes, or a two-minute practice dose.

Alessandra Giannella Samelli et al., 2025

Small field studies point in the same direction, with important limits

Two field studies recruited 33 power-company workers who regularly used hearing protection but had never received individual fitting instruction. Personal attenuation was measured with the workers' usual fit, then again after one-on-one instruction for the same foam plug. Attenuation was higher after training in both studies, with larger gains among people who started with poorer fits.

There was no untrained control group, one participant was excluded after an equipment malfunction, and the authors noted that regression to the mean could partly explain the relationship between a low starting score and a larger improvement. The studies measured the immediate fit of one product, not whether training prevented hearing loss over time.

Fran Copelli et al., 2021

Roll, pull, and hold—then treat the check as a screen, not proof

NIOSH's soft-foam guidance says to use clean hands, roll the plug into a small thin cylinder, pull the top of the ear up and back with the opposite hand, insert the plug, and hold it for 20 to 30 seconds while it expands. After both plugs are fitted, cupping the ears should not make sounds much more muffled; a large change suggests that the seal should be tried again.

Current NIOSH guidance says package noise reduction ratings often do not match the protection an individual receives and calls individual fit testing the best check. Hearing protection supplements—not replaces—noise controls. It must preserve necessary communication and alarm awareness, and NIOSH recommends double protection for exposures at 100 dBA or more or for impulse sounds.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 2003 · National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 2024

05

Reflect and connect it to your tracker

Did I have to refit either plug, and could I still detect the alarms or communication required for the task?

Create a “practice the earplug fit” habit in 66 Days and record only whether you completed the pre-noise rehearsal.

Track this cue in 66 Days

Research and primary sources

  1. Enhancing Hearing Protection: Evaluating Innovative Training Modalities for Optimal Fitting OutcomesLa Medicina del Lavoro, 2025 · DOI 10.23749/mdl.v116i3.16606Fifty-two university students ages 18 to 50 who had no experience using hearing protectors were randomly assigned to an individual demonstration, package reading, video instruction, or no instruction before their earplug attenuation was measured again.All three instruction groups had higher post-instruction personal attenuation ratings than the no-instruction group with both measurement methods; change scores differed from control for all three groups with REAT and for the demonstration and video groups with MIRE. This was an immediate laboratory test of one insert protector, not a workplace trial or a test of a two-minute routine.
  2. Field Attenuation of Foam EarplugsSafety and Health at Work, 2021 · DOI 10.1016/j.shaw.2020.09.006Two field studies recruited 33 Hydro One workers who regularly used hearing protection but had not received individual fitting instruction; one participant in the first study was excluded after an equipment malfunction.Personal attenuation was measured before and immediately after one-on-one instruction with one foam earplug model. Post-training attenuation was higher in both studies, and workers with poorer starting fits tended to improve more. The convenience samples were small, there was no untrained control group, and the authors noted possible regression to the mean.
  3. How to Wear Soft Foam EarplugsCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, 2003NIOSH's soft-foam-earplug resource instructs users with clean hands to roll the plug into a small thin shape, pull the top of the opposite ear up and back, insert it, and hold it for 20 to 30 seconds while it expands.The resource also suggests checking the seal by cupping the ears: if sounds become much more muffled, the plug may not be sealing and should be removed and fitted again. These directions apply to soft foam earplugs; the specific product instructions still govern.
  4. Provide Hearing ProtectionCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024NIOSH says employers should use engineering and administrative controls before relying on hearing protection, and that individual fit testing is the best way to check whether a worker receives the required protection.The page says the package noise reduction rating often does not reflect an individual's actual protection. It offers counting aloud while cupping and uncupping the ears as a check when fit testing is unavailable, warns that overprotection can reduce situational awareness, and recommends double protection at 100 dBA or more or for impulse sounds.