Hi Pippa, I've been working in industry for over 20 years both in ther UK and overseas, particulalry hot countries such as Saudi and Africa. I've never come across a compalint of hard hats causing a build up of ear wax. I have seen plenty of people with a build up of wax from use of ear plugs - I don't suppose this person also uses ear plugs?? Owen Donnelly Medical Advisor International SOS/Angola LNG Project ******************************** Please remove this footer before replying. OCC-HEALTH ARCHIVES: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/occ-health.html CONFERENCES AND STUDY DAYS: http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/filearea.cgi?LMGT1=OCC-HEALTH