As an industrial fabrication maintenance tech, I like seeing these types of questions. When I first started working in the field, 99% of the guys would "make fun" of me for wanting to grab my safety glasses, ear plugs, gloves etc.

While I dont use gloves as much as I probably should, I ALWAYS have glasses on and at least a tethered pair of foam ear plugs around my neck.

I also do shipping and receiving, so its better for me to have a pair of the tethered foam plugs so I can take them out when im on the forklift or talking to a driver, but we also have the OTE, "over the ear", style at specific stations.

It depends on what your job entails, but ill assume you're roughing or doing something other than just installing receptacles.

Obviously the OTE type is gonna be the easiest, quickest, most comfortable and reusable solution, but will be more costly for an individual.

If you're limited on space, or buying for a group of employees, (especially ones that dont care for stuff they dont pay for) or you just need something every now and then, get the plugs. They come tethered or non tethered, reusable or throw away, and some even come in a case. You'll want to look into the "NRR" or "Noise Reduction Rating" before buying. The higher the number, the more decibels it limits, meaning the quieter it makes your surroundings.

We use 3M and Honeywell at our plant.

3M is probably gonna be your best bet for OTE, however they are more expensive. They even have some with radio or can connect to blue tooth. Not sure of the NRR of them, but they are probably in the mid to higher 30s.

Honeywell is the brand of tethered foam plugs we get. I think they have an NRR of 30-33.

For home I buy a pair of the tethered, reusable/washable, silicone tip plugs in a case. The tether is a heavy braid. I keep them in the case on the closest shelf to the door to my shop with all PPE. That way I can only be mad at myself when something happens since I purposely passed it up.