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3M E-A-Rfit, User Instructions

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3M E-A-Rfit User Instructions Download Page 10

8

How it Works

The 3M™ E-A-Rfit™ Dual-Ear Validation System encompasses a specially designed loudspeaker that allows for an accurate 

presentation of the test signal and real-time communication between the microphones, speaker and software. The 

dual-element microphones make it possible to measure the sound level simultaneously inside and outside the hearing 

protector.

The reference microphone measures the level of the test signal outside the ear. The measurement microphone is connected 

to one of the specially modified 3M probed test earplugs or earmuff cushions to allow measurement of the sound level inside 

the wearer’s ear canal while the hearing protector is worn. The difference between the outside and inside microphone levels 

is used to calculate the personal attenuation rating (PAR) for each employee: the amount of noise reduction in decibels 

obtained by that individual with the specific model and size of hearing protector being worn. The PAR is an indication as to 

whether or not the standard version of that model of hearing protector, without the test probe attached, will provide sufficient 

attenuation for the noise exposure in the workplace.

The 3M™ probed test earplugs and earmuff cushions are designed to be equivalent to the performance of the actual hearing 

protectors they represent. Attenuation differences between the probed and the non-probed products are accounted for in 

the PAR calculation by applying compensation factors which are derived from laboratory studies.

IMPORTANT NOTE

i

The use of fit testing cannot be assumed to meet all regulatory requirements. Follow all applicable regulations for determining 

hearing protector noise attenuation.

Test Procedure

1)

Welcome the employee (test subject) to sit in a chair in front of the speaker. Explain the fit test process and select the 

appropriate model of probed test plugs or probed test earmuff cushions.

2)

In the software, select the employee. You may type the employee name or select by using the drop-down menu. For 

information on adding an employee, see 

Add or Edit an Employee

. 

3)

Click 

Select Product

 or 

Change Product

 to add or change a product for the employee being tested. 

Summary of Contents for E-A-Rfit

Page 1: ...e of the 3M E A Rfit Dual Ear Validation System according to applicable governmental regulations Substitution of components may impair the accuracy of the instrument Repairs should be performed by authorized service personnel only Read the User Guide before operation Introduction This system is comprised of hardware and software that enables the operator to test and record the personal attenuation...

Page 2: ...ion Graph 14 Detail View 14 Reports 15 Employee Report 15 Company Report 16 Data Manager 17 Company 17 Adding or Editing a Company 18 Delete a Company 19 Employee 19 Add or Edit an Employee 20 Importing Employee Data 21 Operator 22 Add an Operator 22 Edit an Operator 23 Export 23 Octave Band Data 23 Employees Due for Testing 24 Employee Session Duration 25 Export Data 26 Hearing Protector Assignme...

Page 3: ...ons 34 Environmental Operating Conditions 34 User Interface Requirements 34 System Requirements 35 Performance Statement 35 Appendix B 36 Kit Components 36 Probed Test Hearing Protector Accessories 36 Contact 3M 36 Within the United States 36 Outside the United States 37 Legal and Regulatory Information 37 FCC IC 37 Calibration 38 Warranty 38 Responsibility for Data Privacy and Security 38 Limitat...

Page 4: ...e software folder in your File Explorer window 3 Run the Setup exe file 4 Follow the prompts in the application setup wizard Hardware Setup Speaker Stand and Cable Connection 1 After removing the items from the case lay the speaker down on a table and screw the stand post into the bottom of the speaker 2 Attach the stand base to the stand post by screwing it in clockwise ...

Page 5: ... the unit 6 Insert the microphone assembly into the middle socket on the back of the unit Take care to ensure the plug is properly aligned into the socket 7 Hang both microphones by the integrated clips to the clip on the front of the unit 8 Attach the USB cord to the bottom socket on the back of the unit 9 Insert the free end of the USB cord into a USB port on your computer ...

Page 6: ...fully connected Software Start up The start up process includes the selection of the language operator and company It may also be used to begin testing review hearing protection fit tests and access the data manager see following sections for details IMPORTANT NOTE i Clicking the Home icon or the E A Rfit logo will return you to the home screen ...

Page 7: ...5 Home Screen 1 Open the 3M E A Rfit Dual Ear Validation System software ...

Page 8: ...xt to the Operator field b Fill out the dialogue box that appears To edit an Operator a Click the Edit button next to the Operator field b Edit the dialogue box as needed 4 Select your company For more information on adding or editing a company see 5 Click on Begin Testing to start the testing process IMPORTANT NOTE i See the and sections for information on these functions ...

Page 9: ... use or after fifty 50 fit test sessions whichever comes first 1 Slide the right red and left blue microphones into the speaker clips as illustrated on the software screen 2 Click the Start Verification button If the microphones are functioning correctly a green check mark will appear Click Continue to Testing to proceed If verification does not pass a red X will appear Disconnect and reconnect th...

Page 10: ...o whether or not the standard version of that model of hearing protector without the test probe attached will provide sufficient attenuation for the noise exposure in the workplace The 3M probed test earplugs and earmuff cushions are designed to be equivalent to the performance of the actual hearing protectors they represent Attenuation differences between the probed and the non probed products ar...

Page 11: ...due to interference with the probe tube be aware that the PAR test result may under estimate the attenuation of the regular hearing protector when inserted to the correct depth 5 After the test subject has inserted both probed test plugs or fitted the probed test earmuff attach the microphones to each by inserting the metal probe tube on the microphone fully into the probe tube on the test plug Th...

Page 12: ...tab and are identified in the tables below Visual Status Indicators The following visual indicators are us throughout the Test Results section of the software Indicator Symbol Description Green Checkmark The measurement passed denoting the employee s binaural PAR minus the uncertainty is equal or above the target minimum attenuation TMA TMA is the employee s exposure minus the company exposure lim...

Page 13: ...able to assign a hearing protector when a caution symbol is present Grey Ellipses dots The employee record does not have a noise exposure level included Without an employee exposure value protection sufficiency cannot be determined You may mark a grey measurement as a baseline but you will not be able to assign a hearing protector where protection sufficiency cannot be determined Button Checkbox D...

Page 14: ...he operator recommends wearing this hearing protector while working in a noise environment If these are assigned this information will appear in the test history column with the hearing protection product the PAR value and the date and time of the test It will also appear on the company and employee reports Personal Attenuation Rating Create Report Allows the creation of an Employee Report and Com...

Page 15: ...es The left and right values are the computed results from the fit test for each ear with the uncertainty value subtracted See for additional details Protection The Protection tab shows the employee s protected exposure in a similar manner to the guidance in the European guidance document EN 458 and the Canadian hearing protection standard CSA Z94 2 The protected exposure is calculated by subtract...

Page 16: ...left right and binaural are values carried over from the Quick View tab This information allows the operator to analyze the shape of the curve and look for abnormalities IMPORTANT NOTE i Low attenuation values in the lower frequencies might indicate a poor seal Detail View In the Detail View Tab Results the full value of the PARs are displayed for left right and binaural along with associated unce...

Page 17: ... Reports This product offers two different report options Reports can be viewed in the program saved as a file or printed Employee Report The employee report provides a basic personalized fit test report ...

Page 18: ...mpany Report The company report provides additional fit test detail desired for company record keeping A signature line is available for companies who wish to have employees sign after they have been tested ...

Page 19: ...data from the 3M E A Rfit Dual Ear Validation System 4 database files can be imported Company The Company tab may be used to modify add or delete company data or records The required fields are noted by an asterisk which include the name country and company exposure limit The company exposure limit is a required value and is used to compute the target minimum attenuation the protected exposure and...

Page 20: ...n there are three optional Label fields which allow you to customize the name that appears in the software and in the reports The fields include the Employee ID Employee Section and the Employee Function For example if the company you are working with has Departments instead of Sections you may add the alternative name and it will appear in the Employee records and in the reports Company Exposure ...

Page 21: ...f the data manager page may be used to add edit delete and import employees into the software database The first name last name country and the employee s exposure level and employee ID are the required fields when completing these records If there is no employee s exposure level available you may click the exposure data not available check box However if not selected this will affect the protecte...

Page 22: ...ox labeled Exposure data not available See the table below for more information on each field in the Add Edit Employee Screen Field Description Exposure Level Employee A weighted sound pressure level dBA or the employee A weighted exposure level over an eight 8 hour period also noted as TWA if applicable Employee ID Employee company ID employees cannot have identical ID numbers Section Employee se...

Page 23: ...on the Employee tab 2 Select Open Data File in the dialog box that appears 3 Find the file on your computer or network and select Open IMPORTANT NOTE i The software will automatically assign the first row of the spreadsheet as headers 4 Match the EARfit5 Field with the Data File Field 5 When finished click the Apply Mapping button A preview of the import data will appear You may edit the Field Map...

Page 24: ...er you may add edit and delete operator safety personnel information The operator information is saved and is presented in System Information section of the Company Report Add an Operator 1 Click the Add button next to the Operator field 2 Enter the operator information Any field with an asterisks is required 3 Click Save to add the new operator ...

Page 25: ... checkboxes on the table that appears Any selected row will appear in the generated report 3 Select either Employee Report or Company Report on the right side of the window 4 Click Generate Report Export In the Export Tab you may run an export or data query of the stored fit test data There are five export options Octave Band Data Employees Due for Testing Employee Session Duration Export Data Hea...

Page 26: ...l provide a list of employees due for testing for a given company The query can be filtered by a selected cut off date parameter The query results will display the employee name the employee ID their function and section and the last known test date ...

Page 27: ...yees Due for Testing 2 Select the company and date 3 Click the Accept button Employee Session Duration The data query will display the date and session duration of all fit tested employees when filtered by company operator start date and end date ...

Page 28: ...Employee Session Duration 2 Select the company operator start date and end date 3 Click the Accept button Export Data The data query will provide all fit test data information when filtered by company by all employees or by specific employee ...

Page 29: ...company employee and date parameters 3 Click the Accept button Hearing Protector Assignment The data query filters by company and will display the company all employees fit tested the fit test visit dates the product tested and the left PAR the right PAR and the Binaural PAR values ...

Page 30: ...button Import EARfit 4 Data This feature is used to import 3M E A Rfit Dual Ear Validation System 4 data into the 3M E A Rfit Dual Ear Validation System software To import data 1 Click Select EARfit 4 database files 2 Select the files on your computer or network and click Open 3 Click Import selected database ...

Page 31: ...for doing this is to facilitate automatic backup An important limitation is that the EARfit database does not permit access by more than one PC at a time The E A Rfit database currently does not support use on Sequel or SQL servers which are designed to manage multiple users simultaneously To change the Database Folder location 1 Click Browse 2 Select a folder on your computer 3 Click Ok IMPORTANT...

Page 32: ... prompt a download to your system 2 Close the current 3M E A Rfit window 3 Open the download and follow the prompts in the install wizard User Support The User Support section is used for the following View Resources e g User Guide training videos etc View Version Information View System Details Request Technical Assistance Check for Updates To access the User Support section click the Question Ma...

Page 33: ...ay be required to access the User Support features Resources The Resources screen may be used to view and access the user manual view live fit test video view testing set up for banded protectors and or earmuffs and various other training videos ...

Page 34: ...e support page may be used to contact Technical Support with an 3M E A Rfit Dual Ear Validation System question Fill out the form to request assistance Check for Updates The Check for Updates support page is used to view and upload the most current software version ...

Page 35: ...C requirements Part 1 General requirements European Committee for Standardization Code of Federal Regulations CFR Title 47 CFR Part 15 Subpart B Unintentional Radiators Federal Communications Commission RoHS Directive 2011 65 EU European Parliament and the Council of the European Union Low Voltage Directive LVD 2014 35 EU European Parliament and the Council of the European Union Electromagnetic Co...

Page 36: ...g A Speaker housing Aluminum black material Speaker size 6 5 in 16 5 cm long 3 75 in 9 5 cm width 6 in 15 2 cm depth Speaker weight 3 1 lb 1 406 g Speaker Status Indicators LEDs Red blinking USB not connected will stop blinking when connected Green unit is on Voltage 120 240 VAC Frequency 50 60 Hz Current 250 mA Operating temperature 5 C to 40 C 41 F to 140 F Relative humidity 80 for temperatures ...

Page 37: ...conservative approach by displaying the PAR minus uncertainty value as the overall PAR result Any change to the uncertainty will automatically be incorporated in the PAR reported by the 3M E A Rfit Dual Ear Validation System The resulting PAR value is not expected to differ more than the typical test variability Changes to uncertainty calculations will not apply to test results conducted with prio...

Page 38: ...one clip 2 per SKU 073 100 Carrying case assembly 073 784 3M Probed Test Hearing Protector Accessories Please see the 3M E A Rfit Dual Ear Validation System Global Test Plug Crossover Guide for the most up to date offerings 3M Hearing Protector Test Probes may be purchased through a 3M distributor Contact 3M Within the United States Should your 3M equipment need to be returned for repair or for fa...

Page 39: ...the service or repair Legal and Regulatory Information FCC IC This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules and Industry Canada s license exempt Radio Standards Specifications Operation is subject to the following two conditions 1 this device may not cause harmful interference and 2 this device must accept any interference received including interference that may cause undesired operation Thi...

Page 40: ... Responsibility for Data Privacy and Security Purchaser is solely responsible for complying with all privacy and security related laws and regulations applicable to the collection storage use import and export of all data personally identifiable or otherwise entered into or generated by the 3M E A Rfit Dual Ear Validation System Access to the 3M E A Rfit Dual Ear System is not password controlled ...

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