I've had a hearing loss since I had mumps as a kid, but until I reached my 60s it was a very narrow frequency notch. About five years ago, I was getting annoyed at continually having to ask "Say again" and cup my better ear to hear people speak. In the shop, I could not longer hear the high-pitched whine from the PhasePerfect that used to drive me nuts when the machines weren't actually running. Audiologist evaluated a severe hearing loss across the entire range in one ear, and a moderate-to-severe loss in the other, so I got fitted for hearing aids. My employer's health plan at the time had good benefits, so I got some pricy Oticons.
Hearing aids do not double as hearing protection. On mine, I can turn them down several notches, or turn them off, but they simply are not built to replace ear plugs or ear muffs.
Unlike some, I have not spent decades going to noisy clubs, loud rock concerts, shooting ranges, boiler making shops, or construction sites with pile drivers. And I almost always wear ear muffs when grinding or running the air compressor or doing similar noisy stuff. Before I got the hearing aids, I would often wear the plugs-on-a-headband hearing protectors instead of muffs, but you can only have one thing stuck in your ear canal at a time, and I don't want to touch the hearing aids with filthy hands.