Do ear plugs cause infections?
No, ear plugs do not cause ear infections. That is simple and unambiguous.
Putting dirty ear plugs in will cause infections so no taking them out, putting them in a pocket, and then putting them back in the ears unless they are a silicone type and can be washed first.
Dirty hands putting the ear plugs in will cause infections. Having a good scratch of the Gentleman Jewels then getting hold of the ear plug and rolling it about in the fingers and shoving it into an ear will cause infections.
Ear plugs do not cause infections - how someone uses them causes infections.
Ear plug dispenser in a factory
During noise assessments I have seen some factories try and limit the number of disposable ear plugs people use in a day but there are multiple issues with this.
These plugs have no individual cases so if someone takes them out at a break time, they have nowhere clean to put them before reusing them. A pocket is nowhere near clean enough.
Some foam ear plugs can be used a couple of time, but some really cannot and lose effectiveness quickly.
This type of plug is almost impossible to wash adequately.
If an employer wants people to reuse ear plugs there are plenty on the market which are good for that. They are usually the flanged silicone style meaning they can be washed and usually come with a little storage case. They may cost a tiny bit more upfront but the per-use cost should be much lower than disposable ones as they last a lot longer.
