The current legislation applying to military hearing protection arises from the laboriously entitled European Communities of Workers) (Exposure to Noise) Regulations 1990.The Army must clearly signpost a Danger Zone with mandatory hearing protection and provide protection and ensure it is worn. On completion of firing practice the officer in charge must certify by signing a declaration at the bottom of each page of an Ammunition Diary that: "all personnel were in possession of and wore ear protection as provided . . ."Each recruit is given a lecture lasting 1 1/2 hours on the subject, "Care of Hearing". This lecture, given by a doctor, points to area of noise exposure and where and how ear protectors can be obtained and worn.The regulations state that hearing protection must be worn in the case of all weapons which exceed 140 decibels when fired. All Defence Forces eapons exceed this level.Each year soldiers must pass a Test Of Elementary Training (TOETs), answering four questions about "care of hearing" and an ability to demonstrate how to correctly fit earplugs. The soldiers must pass these tests before they can fire small arms, grenades and infantry support weapons (antitank and artillery).The Manual of Range Practices (Small Arms) 1993 lays down the maximum number of rounds that may be fired in a 24-hour period.The manual also lays down specific Firing Point Orders which must be heard by all personnel and repeated by them. These include the order to "Check hearing protection".Before 1991 the Army Medical Corps monitored hearing loss by what is accepted as the subjective ability of the soldier to hear a whisper or spoken voice with one or both ears at arm's length or a distance of 10 feet.When audioscopes were made available to medical officers, hearing defects in high-tone hearing were detected for the first time.Audiometers are provided at St Bricin's Military Hospital, Dublin; the General Military Hospital (GMH), Cork; the GMH Curragh; and the Medical Centre, Custume Barracks, Athlone.Hearing protection as an issue first arose in 1952 with the introduction of General Routine Order No 8 which directed that during the firing of heavy weapons (other than rifles, revolvers or machineguns) personnel should insert a "piece of dry clean cotton wool" in the ear passage.In 1961 the cotton wool, by now recommended to be "moistened with a little soft Vaseline", was to be worn during the firing of all weapons. Those in the immediate vicinity of tank armaments were also to use these plugs.In 1972 an order was issued instructing that all members of the regular and reserve forces be issued with a personal set of "ear defenders".With the growing trend towards health and safety in work four further training circulars and directives were issued in the 1970s and 1980s.In 1991 General Routine Order No 2 directed that officers in charge of firing ensure that hearing protection was available and worn in any firing or explosives exercise. With the firing of heavy weapons - infantry support, artillery, missiles, tanks and Naval Service guns - ear plugs and ear muffs were to be worn. Modern ear plugs and ear muffs offer much greater protection than dry cotton wool. On a scale of 0 to 10, with dry cotton wool at 0, waxed cotton wool would stand at 5 and soft plastic earplugs at 10.The first ear plugs issued to the Defence Force were Amplivox "Sonex" soft plastic, plugs which were in use from 1969 to 1986. These were replaced by Cabocord ear plugs from 1987 to 1994. Racal Slimvalve active muffs were introduced from 1987 onwards and Racal DBA plugs from 1994.