Protecting Entertainment Industry Workers from Hearing Loss
Harm to the ears is irreversible. Every industry must take steps to mitigate excessive noise hazards.
- By Tim Turney
- Jun 01, 2022
Noise is more than a nuisance. It’s responsible for the most prevalent occupational disease in the world. Sudden blasts of sound and prolonged exposure to excessive noise levels can cause life-changing damage because the harm to the ears is irreversible, resulting in noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL).
Protecting entertainment industry workers is challenging because the very nature of the job means that high sound levels and special effects are often part and parcel of enticing customers through the door. However, NIHL diminishes quality of life, regardless of how it is caused.
OSHA’s regulations for occupational exposure to noise are applicable to all workplaces in the private sector, including night clubs, dance halls and other places of entertainment. Employers are expected to take appropriate measures to protect their employees who are exposed to excessive noise levels.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently set new recommendations to limit the risk of hearing loss in the entertainment industry, introducing a global standard for safe listening at venues and events. The new standard was developed under WHO’s Make Listening Safe initiative, which draws on the latest evidence and consultations with a range of stakeholders including experts from WHO, government, industry, consumers and civil society.
WHO’s recommendations include live monitoring and recording of sound levels using calibrated equipment by designed staff. Noise monitoring solutions provide noise exposure measurements, which can be evaluated to see if employees or the audience are subject to excessive noise. However, professionals undertaking the monitoring should be trained and prepared sufficiently with the right equipment as minor errors in noise level estimates can lead to major errors in exposure calculations.
Getting Accurate Measurements
For entertainment industry workers, the goal of measurement is to assess an individual’s eight-hour exposure, so the noise monitoring process itself may be a quick measurement using a sound level meter if the noise is steady throughout the day. A sound level meter is a hand-held device, enabling measurements to be taken at the ear with the instrument pointing at the noise source. In the entertainment industry people may be moving around an area, so a more general measurement can be made as long as it is in a location representative of an individual’s exposure. This process must be repeated for both ears, for all duties employees perform, making it possible to calculate an accurate record of daily exposure. Settings on these meters can be adjusted in line with legislation.
This article originally appeared in the June 2022 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.