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Key Takeaways
With a petrol mower, yes. Most put 90–95 dB(A) at the operator’s ear, reaching the 85 dB(A) daily noise dose in 48 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes. Battery mowers are usually much quieter.
A petrol push or ride-on mower typically measures 90–95 dB(A) at the operator’s ear. Every 3 dB rise halves the time to the 85 dB(A) daily dose.
Many people switch to earplugs in summer because ear defender cups trap heat and sweat. Both work if they suit the noise level and stay on while the machine runs.
Strimmers and leaf blowers reach 95–105 dB(A), where HSE suggests SNR 25–35, rising to SNR 30 or more above 100 dB(A). That means ear defenders rated for the band, or an earplug under ear defenders.
No. A chainsaw runs at 106–120 dB(A), so we recommend earplugs worn under ear defenders (double hearing protection), never a single SNR 24 earplug.
A modern sealed cab usually sits at 80–90 dB(A), so protection is needed towards the top of that range. Older cabs and roll-bar tractors reach 95–100 dB(A).
Hearing protection for lawn mowing sounds like overkill until you see the numbers. A petrol mower puts 90–95 dB(A) at your ear, and at 95 dB(A) you reach the full 85 dB(A) daily noise dose in about 48 minutes. Add a strimmer and a blower, and one afternoon of garden work can pass that dose.
At Bollsen, we make reusable silicone earplugs trusted by 1,000,000+ people, including WorkPRO for noisy jobs. On one mowing forum, a landscaper running a mower “eight hours a day” asked whether to stack plugs under ear defenders. The answer depends on the machine and its decibel level.
Choosing earplugs for work starts with the noise level, and our hub on earplugs for work sets out HSE’s SNR bands and UK noise law for every trade, from building sites to farms.
Do you need hearing protection to mow the lawn?
You need hearing protection to mow with a petrol mower, because the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005 require employers to offer protection at a daily exposure of 80 dB(A) and make sure it is worn at 85 dB(A), and a mower at 90–95 dB(A) passes both within a morning.
Peak action values are 135 dB(C) and 137 dB(C), and the limit at the ear, with protection in, is 87 dB(A) or 140 dB(C). Those duties bind employers such as grounds teams and landscaping firms, but your ears react to your own lawn the same way.
Battery mowers are usually far quieter. A petrol strimmer or blower in the same session still sets the day’s exposure.
How loud are mowers, strimmers, blowers and chainsaws?
Garden and grounds machinery runs from about 90 dB(A) for a petrol mower to 120 dB(A) for a chainsaw at the operator’s ear, and every 3 dB rise halves the time to the 85 dB(A) daily dose.
| Machine | Typical level at the ear | Time to the 85 dB(A) daily dose | HSE suggested SNR band | WorkPRO (SNR 24) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Petrol push mower | 90–95 dB(A) | 2 h 30 min to 48 min | 90–95: SNR 20–30 | Alone |
| Ride-on mower (no cab) | 90–95 dB(A) | 2 h 30 min to 48 min | 90–95: SNR 20–30 | Alone |
| Hedge trimmer | 90–105 dB(A) | 2 h 30 min to 5 min | 90–95: SNR 20–30, up to 100–105: SNR 30+ | Alone up to 95 dB(A); under ear defenders above that |
| Strimmer / brushcutter | 95–105 dB(A) | 48 min to 5 min | 95–100: SNR 25–35; 100–105: SNR 30+ | Under ear defenders |
| Leaf blower | 95–105 dB(A) | 48 min to 5 min | 95–100: SNR 25–35; 100–105: SNR 30+ | Under ear defenders |
| Chainsaw | 106–120 dB(A) | 4 min to 10 s | 100–105 and above: SNR 30+ | Under ear defenders (double hearing protection) |
| Tractor cab (modern, sealed) | 80–90 dB(A) | Not reached at 80; 2 h 30 min at 90 | 85–90: SNR 20 or less | Alone near 90 dB(A); may over-protect below that |
| Grain dryer | 95 dB(A) and above | 48 min or less | 95–100: SNR 25–35, higher above 100 | Under ear defenders |
SNR 24 sits in HSE’s 90–95 dB(A) band, so one WorkPRO earplug suits a petrol mower, while anything above 95 dB(A) needs ear defenders rated for the band or a plug under them. HSE’s hearing protection guidance also warns against over-protection, meaning below 70 dB at the ear.
How does a whole day of garden work add up?
A day of garden work adds up because daily personal noise exposure counts every machine you run, so one hour of mowing at 91 dB(A), 20 minutes of strimming at 97 dB(A) and 10 minutes with a blower at 100 dB(A) reach roughly 180% of the 85 dB(A) daily dose.
That is about 88 dB(A) over the day from 90 minutes of engine time. HSE’s agricultural noise guidance calls this effect cumulative. Removing protection even briefly cuts its value sharply, so keep plugs in while you swap machines.
From spring to autumn that dose repeats five days a week, and wearing earplugs all day becomes routine. Our guide to wearing earplugs all day at work covers comfort, hygiene and breaks on long outdoor shifts.
Should you wear earplugs or ear defenders in summer heat?
In summer heat, many landscapers prefer earplugs, because ear defender cups trap warm air and sweat against the skin, while a plug sits inside the ear canal.
Forum users describe cups on hot days as “like heaters on the ears” and switch to plugs in summer. Ear defenders (ear muffs, if you are reading in the US) still suit quick on-off jobs, because they go on without clean hands.
Heat is one factor in earplugs vs ear defenders at work, and our comparison of earplugs vs ear defenders at work sets hygiene, hard-hat fit and SNR side by side.
Do glasses, visors and forestry helmets change the choice?
Safety glasses change the choice because their arms run under the cushion of an ear defender and break the seal, while an earplug seals inside the ear canal and is unaffected by glasses, visors or helmets. Forestry helmets with a mesh visor and built-in ear defenders are standard for chainsaw work, and strap goggles keep a cup seal intact better than glasses arms.
Crews often wear earplugs with a hard hat, glasses and a dust mask at once, and our guide to earplugs with a hard hat, glasses and respirator shows how to combine them without gaps.
When does a chainsaw call for double hearing protection?
We recommend double hearing protection for every chainsaw job, because at 106–120 dB(A) it reaches the 85 dB(A) daily dose in about four minutes or less, well beyond the 100 dB(A) point where HSE suggests SNR 30 or more.
WorkPRO goes under ear defenders for chainsaw work, never on its own, and the same applies to any strimmer, blower or hedge trimmer above 100 dB(A). Two protectors usually add roughly 4–6 dB over the better single one, and our guide to double hearing protection explains how to estimate the combined rating.
What about farming: tractor cabs, grain dryers and livestock sheds?
Farming adds three noise sources most gardeners never meet: a tractor cab at about 80–90 dB(A), a grain dryer at 95 dB(A) or more, and pig sheds at feeding time, which HSE says can reach 100 dB or more.
A modern sealed cab with the door shut is often near the lower action value, where an SNR 24 earplug can over-protect, so a lower-SNR plug suits quieter cabs. Open the door or drive an older tractor, and levels climb towards 95–100 dB(A). HSE recommends marking hearing protection zones wherever the level reaches 85 dB(A); there, wear ear defenders rated for the band, or WorkPRO under ear defenders.
Where does WorkPRO fit in a grounds kit?
Our WorkPRO earplugs fit a grounds kit as the everyday plug for mowing in the 90–95 dB(A) band, and as the low-profile layer under ear defenders for strimmers, blowers and chainsaws above it.
WorkPRO is a passive earplug in reusable hypoallergenic silicone with a patented design, tested to EN 352-2 at SNR 24 dB (H 24 / M 21 / L 19). It has no electronics and does not cancel noise. Attenuation rises with frequency, from about 22 dB in the lows to 35 dB at 8 kHz, so a loud warning stays audible because it is loud, not because a filter passes it through.
The yellow colour is easy to spot in cut grass. Foam plugs need rolling between clean fingers, which is hard after weeding, whereas a reusable plug goes straight in and rinses with mild soap and water.
German-tested, independently certified 24 dB, our WorkPRO earplugs (SNR 24 dB, £29.95) come with a 40-day money-back guarantee, so you can test them through a full week of mowing.
For blade sharpening at a repair bench, our guide to earplugs for power tools and woodworking covers grinders and bench tools. Landscapers who also work on building sites should read our guide to earplugs for construction workers.
How do you kit out a grounds or landscaping team?
To kit out a grounds or landscaping team, assess each machine, offer protection from 80 dB(A), make it compulsory from 85 dB(A), and match each person’s protection to their loudest tool and the PPE worn with it.
Rotating jobs so no one runs the blower all afternoon lowers each person’s dose. This guide matches protection to each machine. When you are buying hearing protection for teams, our page on hearing protection for teams and bulk orders covers company orders for crews of any size.
When should you get your hearing checked?
See your GP if you notice muffled hearing that lasts after mowing, or ringing in your ears after loud noise that keeps coming back, and as soon as possible after any sudden change in your hearing.
HSE estimates that 15,000 workers had hearing problems caused or made worse by work (Labour Force Survey average, 2022/23 to 2024/25). The NHS guide to hearing loss explains what your GP can check, and our guide to workplace hearing tests and audiometry covers employer health surveillance.
If you are unsure how loud is too loud for a job, start with the machine table. A petrol mower sits comfortably with one SNR 24 earplug, while strimmers, blowers and chainsaws push you up a band, where ear defenders or a plug under them take over. Keep protection in from the first cut of spring to the last leaf clear-up.
His connection to hearing protection stems from personal experience with sound sensitivity during live events and work in noisy environments, an issue that made him more aware of the long-term risks of unmanaged noise exposure. Today, as both a communicator and a user of BOLLSEN products, he is passionate about raising awareness around the importance of proactive hearing care.
At BOLLSEN, he develops data-driven marketing campaigns, writes SEO-focused articles, and manages communication channels that connect customers with practical knowledge about hearing protection. His work ensures that BOLLSEN’s message—prioritizing health, performance, and sustainability reaches a global audience in an engaging and trustworthy way.
Passionate about writing since childhood, Timotej combines creativity with a strong analytical approach, continuously testing new ideas in digital marketing, performance advertising, and social media. He believes in learning through innovation and collaboration, balancing leadership with openness to new perspectives.
Beyond his professional role, Timotej is committed to a healthy lifestyle and finds inspiration in fitness, sports, and quality time with friends. His personal passion for well-being aligns with BOLLSEN’s core values, making his work not only a career but also a cause he deeply believes in.