The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005

Noise Regulations aim to protect workers' hearing from excessive noise, which could cause them to lose their hearing and/or suffer from tinnitus.

Since April 2008, Noise at Work Regulations have also come into force for all music and entertainment industries where live or recorded music is played. This could be in a restaurant, bar, public house, disco or nightclub, a live music or a live dramatic or dance performance.

Whatever the industry, employers must provide hearing protection if noise levels reach 85+ decibels (daily or weekly exposure).

Remember: prevention is better than cure. Protect your hearing now.

 

Recreational Noise

It's not only at work where we're exposed to noise- we willing jeopardise our hearing on a day-to-day basis.

MP3 players

By Andrew Goodwin, outreach adviser at Deafness Research UK

"There's no doubt we're sitting on a hearing timebomb. The kind of noise damage that went out with the shutting down of heavy industry in the 1970s, is now coming back. A third of 16 to 34 year-olds listen to their MP3 player for an hour a day, while 14% listen for 28 hours a week. Many of them listen at maximum volume.

When we tested MP3 players we found most went up to 100 decibels, 10 decibels higher than a pneumatic drill. Some went as high as 120 decibels. We're going to have tens of thousands of people who'll need hearing aids in their 40s and 50s rather than their 60s and 70s.

Part of the problem is that people listen to their music on public transport where there's horrendous background noise. And the ear buds that Apple and other manufacturers provide are cheap, horrible things. If you wear headphones that go over your ears it blocks out the background noise and means you don't need to have the music so loud." Source: BBC NEWS 27 September 2011

You can also buy custom ear moulds for your headphones that would protect your ears by reducing the need to listen at such high volumes. Come in and talk to us, and let us help protect your hearing.

Convertibles

Even going for a drive can damage your hearing! Research by the Worcestershire Royal Hospital has shown that driving with the top and windows down at 70mph produces an average of 89dB, which is almost the same noise level of an underground train! Just putting the window up reduces the noise by an average of 49dB! A small change, with monumental effects!