At what decibel level do you need to wear double hearing protection?

• A. 100 decibels
• B. 104 decibels
• C. 102 decibels
• D. 106 decibels

Answer: (B)

Double protection is required when the noise level is high enough that a single protector may not provide sufficient attenuation to keep your exposure safe. At 104 decibels, the expected reduction from one device isn’t enough, so you wear two protectors—such as earplugs plus earmuffs—to achieve greater overall attenuation. Decibels are a logarithmic scale, and adding a second protection layer significantly reduces the actual energy reaching the ears, which is why 104 dB is used as the cutoff point in this context. If the noise is higher, you continue using double protection to maintain protection against potential hearing damage.