Everyone has to deal with noise around them on a daily basis. But when is this sound considered "noise" and when is it really harmful to your hearing? In this article, we discuss the Occupational Health and Safety standard in terms of noise, how many decibels are harmful to your ears and what you can all do yourself to prevent noise damage in the workplace.
When are sounds harmful?
When you have to deal with excessively loud sounds for a long time, there is a chance that it will have a negative impact on your hearing. But when exactly is this and how is it calculated?
Noise can be annoying to hearing depending on the duration of exposure and the strength of the sound. How many decibels are annoying? Noise above 80 decibels can cause hearing damage even with prolonged exposure. When the sound exceeds 100 decibels, only short-term exposure can cause hearing damage. This means, for example, that concerts with loud music, heavy machinery, or temporarily loud noises quickly pose enormous risks. In this case, it is recommended at all times to custom-made earplugs wear for the best hearing protection.
These loud noises can damage the hair cells in the ears. This results in hearing damage. This can reduce the quality of your hearing, but can also cause other hearing diseases. One example is tinnitus, a hearing disease in which you feel a ringing in your ears. This squeak may be temporary, but in some cases tinnitus is even a chronic condition.
What is the dB(A) scale?
Decibels are calculated using the dB(A) scale. What exactly is this scale and how does it correctly calculate the number of decibels? The dB(A) scale is unique because it measures sound in terms of its strength as the human ear experiences sound, not just the loudness of the sound. Because our hearing is more sensitive to certain frequencies, the dB(A) scale emphasizes sounds between 500 and 6000 Hz, where the ear is most sensitive. Thus, people can hear and tolerate lower tones better, than higher tones.
Higher tones are often perceived as loud and/or painful by the human ear. This scale is important in assessing how damaging sounds are to hearing. What is unique about this is that this scale is not directly linear. This means that sound that is 120 decibels is not directly twice as loud as 60 decibels. This scale handles the loudness of the sound as well as its effect on hearing. Where higher sounds are perceived as louder than lower sounds. For example, a shrill alarm may sound a lot higher on this scale, than low loud sounds from a machine.
Examples of decibel levels
Therefore, different decibel levels can be distinguished. For example, there are differences in decibels alone when it comes to talking.
- A conversation: an ordinary conversation has on average the value of 60 decibels. This is as loud as the sound of croaking frogs.
- Whisper: whispering has only 30 decibels. This is only 10 decibels louder than the rustling of leaves.
- A crying child: can produce as many decibels, namely 80 decibels, as a scooter passing by loudly.
- Discotheque: On average, the sound in a discotheque is about 110 decibels. This can be compared to a jackhammer.
- Listening to music: via earphones, listening to music can be harmful. The number of decibels goes up considerably. How many decibels harmful earbuds is as low as 85 decibels.
Anything from 130 decibels and above can actually be perceived as painful to the ear. Think of the sound of a flying engine starting up. Or a gunshot, which can even exceed 140 decibels. Even one-time exposure to these sounds can cause hearing damage.
Legal permissible decibel level for work
How many decibels are perceived as annoying in practice varies from person to person. The chance of hearing damage from excessively loud sounds increases not only by the amount of decibels, but also by how long you are exposed to the specific sound. Fortunately, standards are available to determine how many decibels are harmful. For a pleasant and safe working atmosphere, it is important that standards are taken into account.
According to the Occupational Health and Safety Standard, an employee may be exposed to 80 decibels for a maximum of eight hours a day. For every three decibels more, the allowed amount of hours is halved. Also, when exposed to 85 decibels or more, it is mandatory to hearing protection wear. This reduces the risk of damage from noise in the workplace. Here are special work earplugs for or in the case of construction there is also specific hearing protection for construction.
Especially in the construction and hospitality industries, it is important to adhere to these maximum limits. If the noise in the workplace exceeds 87 decibels, your employer is even required to lower this noise limit.
As an employee, you also have the right to request noise tests for your work location to see if the amount of decibels allowed are exceeded.
Occupational / leisure standard
So determining a safe noise level depends on the context in which the noise is produced. In addition to the Occupational Health and Safety Standard, there is also the Leisure Standard. In the workplace, the Occupational Health and Safety Standard applies. For leisure, the Leisure Standard applies.
The occupational health and safety standard is stricter, and here it assumes 80 decibels for eight hours a day. For every additional three decibels, the allowable exposure is halved. Thus, you may have exposure to 83 decibels for a maximum of 4 hours a day. If you are exposed to 86 decibels in the workplace, you may only be exposed to this for 2 hours. This occupational health and safety standard is important for worker safety. Workers can even demand compensation or a change of workplace based on this standard.
The Leisure Standard is a bit more lenient. This is because it assumes that you are "affected" by this for fewer hours a day. For example, you don't go to a concert for 8 hours, you are only exposed to this louder noise for a few hours in the leisure sector. Therefore, the Leisure Standard also starts at 88 decibels. Again, there is an ascending formula of exposure and increasing decibels.
Are you suffering from noise pollution? Here you can find more tips against hearing damage And how to prevent sore ears.
