Jobs With a High Risk of Hearing Damage (+ dB per Workplace)

Too much loud noise at work can damage your hearing for good. Noise-induced hearing loss is one of the most commonly reported occupational diseases. In the Netherlands, for example, it ranks in the top 3 alongside psychological and physical conditions: in 2025, about 8% of all reports concerned hearing (Netherlands Center for Occupational Diseases, NCvB, in Dutch).

According to an estimate by the Dutch National Hearing Foundation (in Dutch), around 900,000 people in the Netherlands work in harmful noise every day. In practice, work-related hearing damage is probably even more common, because many people don’t immediately link their hearing problem to their job. In this article you’ll find out which jobs carry the most risk, how loud each workplace is and what to do if you notice your hearing getting worse.

How does noise damage your hearing?

Sound is a vibration in the air: a rapid change in air pressure. In your inner ear, tiny hair cells turn those vibrations into signals for your brain. Too much noise overloads those hair cells and eventually damages them. They then pass on no information or the wrong information, so you hear less well or hear a ringing or hissing sound. That damage cannot be repaired.

After a day in loud noise, your hearing can be temporarily dulled, with a muffled feeling or a ringing in your ear. If that happens now and then, your hearing usually recovers. If you are exposed to it often, the damage can become permanent. That almost always happens gradually, so you only notice once a lot has already been lost. Ageing plays a part too, but noise is the cause you can prevent.

Which jobs carry the most risk?

The number of reported cases of hearing damage depends heavily on the sector. In construction and industry the problems are well known, partly because of the heavy machinery. But in many other jobs the risk is there too, and the damage is often not linked to the work straight away. Jobs with high noise levels include:

• construction workers
• metalworkers and woodworkers
• police and armed forces
• farmers
• lorry and forklift drivers
• musicians and DJs

Harmful noise also turns up in less obvious places, such as childcare centres, leisure centres, swimming pools and sports halls. PE teachers are at risk when they teach in halls with poor acoustics. Squeaking trainers, bouncing balls, whistles, hockey sticks and a whole group of shouting children add up to a lot of noise. Because large, high halls are often finished with hard materials, the sound echoes for a long time. In education, technology teachers and swimming instructors are also at greater risk. Read more in our article on hearing protection for teachers and PE teachers.

People who work in hospitality, for example in a busy bar, a club or at a festival, are also at higher risk. There is no EU standard for sound levels at venues and events: each country, and sometimes each region or city, sets its own rules. In the Netherlands, for example, the music industry has agreed to a maximum of 103 dB(A) averaged over 15 minutes. Other countries set their own limits, and many have none. Even at that level, it is still far above 80 dB(A) for anyone working there all evening. Read more about hearing protection in nightlife and hospitality. In security, you also need to keep communicating over a two-way radio; for that there are walkie-talkie earpieces for security with built-in hearing protection.

Dental hygienists and plaster technicians also work with equipment that makes noise the whole time it is running, and emergency services staff and motorcycle police are often exposed to loud sounds. Where the noise comes from varies by industry. In construction, industry, printing works, workshops and the food industry, it’s mainly machinery. In nightlife and security, it’s the music and large crowds.

How many decibels is it per workplace?

How much noise you get at work varies enormously. In a quiet office you work at around 50 dB, while next to a plane taking off on the runway you’re dealing with about 140 dB. A few jobs in between:

The risk of permanent hearing damage starts at around 80 dB. How much damage you suffer depends on how often and how long you work in that noise. A handy rule of thumb: if you can no longer understand someone a metre away without raising your voice, the noise is probably above 80 dB.

How long is it safe?

At 80 dB(A), your ears can cope with an 8-hour working day. Every 3 dB more means twice as much sound energy, so it halves the safe exposure time. For a few workplaces, based on the average noise level and without hearing protection:

For more examples of everyday sounds, from a conversation to a fighter jet, see how many decibels is harmful.

Risks of working without hearing protection

If you work in noise without protection for years, you risk more than just hearing less. The consequences at a glance:

• Permanent hearing loss. Noise-induced hearing loss cannot be cured. A hearing aid can help, but it won’t give you your original hearing back.
• Tinnitus. A ringing, hissing or buzzing that doesn’t go away. Read more about tinnitus and ringing in the ears.
• A higher chance of accidents. If your hearing is worse, you are more likely to miss a warning signal, a reversing vehicle or a colleague calling out.
• Fatigue and stress. Even if you don’t find it bothersome, a day in noise costs energy. High noise levels can lead to difficulty concentrating, stress and higher blood pressure.
• Harder communication. A team meeting, a safety briefing or just a chat: if you hear poorly, you miss a lot. That affects the atmosphere at work too.

The mental effects of noise

Noise doesn’t only affect your ears. Working in a racket all day takes energy: your brain has to work harder to filter speech and signals out of the noise. You notice that in your concentration and in how tired you are at the end of the day.

If tinnitus develops and doesn’t go away, the impact can be considerable. People sleep worse, feel more stress and sometimes become low. For some workers that means time off sick, or even not being able to return to their own job.

Poor hearing or hearing problems at work

Noise-induced hearing damage creeps up on you. You usually notice it first in situations where lots of sounds overlap. Do you recognise one or more of these signs?

• You keep turning the radio or TV up.
• You start talking louder yourself, or others tell you that you do.
• A conversation in the canteen, in the car or on the phone takes effort.
• You hear soft sounds and high tones, such as birds or a beeping microwave, less clearly.
• After work you hear a ringing, humming or hissing, or your ears feel muffled.

So what can you do? Talk to your manager or the occupational physician. If you work above 85 dB(A), or above 80 dB(A) where there is a risk to your hearing, you are entitled to a hearing test through your employer (Article 10 of the EU Noise Directive). A test like that shows whether your hearing is declining and whether the measures at your workplace are good enough. We do hearing tests on site, so a whole team can be tested in one go.

If you notice your hearing getting worse, make sure it doesn’t get any worse: wear hearing protection in noise, even for short jobs.

What does the law say about noise at work?

Employers must carry out a risk assessment to identify where and during which tasks there are risks, take measures and check that those measures work. For noise, the EU rules are in Directive 2003/10/EC, the Noise Directive:

• From a daily dose of 80 dB(A), the employer makes hearing protection available and gives information and training on the risks of noise.
• From 85 dB(A), the worker is required to wear hearing protection. The employer then draws up a programme of technical and organisational measures to reduce the noise, often called an action plan, and reviews it regularly.
• The exposure limit value is 87 dB(A), measured in the ear and therefore with hearing protection in. If it is exceeded, the noise must come down immediately.
• Workers above 85 dB(A), or above 80 dB(A) where there is a risk to hearing, are entitled to a hearing test. The directive does not set a fixed interval for this.

These are the EU minimum rules (Directive 2003/10/EC). Every EU country has written them into its own law, and some countries are stricter, so check your national rules. Workers have obligations too: if you work above 85 dB(A), you really do have to wear the hearing protection. All the limits, the peak values in dB(C) and who pays for what are in when is hearing protection mandatory.

How do you prevent hearing damage at work?

The law calculates with an eight-hour working day. Spending less time in the noise lowers the dose: halving the time reduces the daily dose by 3 dB(A). For example, if you work 4 hours at 83 dB(A) and spend the rest of the day in silence, you end up with the same dose as 8 hours at 80 dB(A).

An employer can tackle noise in several ways:

• choosing quieter machines and production methods
• placing machines in sound-insulating enclosures
• having staff work in soundproofed cabins
• limiting time in the noise as much as possible

Three tips that are often forgotten:

• Choose quieter machines when replacing equipment. Electric or hybrid machines are often a good deal quieter than machines with a combustion engine. If you are switching to electric anyway, you also gain in hearing protection.
• Maintain your equipment well. A well-lubricated machine makes less racket than an old or poorly maintained one. Replace worn parts in good time.
• Rotate tasks. Alternate noisy work with quieter work, so it isn't always the same people standing at the loudest machines. More efficient work processes also cut the time spent in noise.

As a worker, you can raise these measures with your employer. Not sure exactly how loud your workplace is? With a sound measurement we map the noise level per workstation.

If these measures aren’t possible (straight away) or aren’t enough, hearing protection is needed. Employers and workers often underestimate how loud it is on the shop floor. In construction and industry, hearing protection is common, but in healthcare, hospitality and education it is worn far less, despite the high noise levels.

Hearing protection at work

Custom earplugs, also called custom earmoulds, are made from an impression of your ear. Because they fit exactly, they seal well and stay comfortable even after a full working day. You choose between a hard and a soft material.

The earplug has an interchangeable filter. Our Custom Work attenuates with an SNR of 17 to 31 dB depending on filter and material, and up to 34 dB with the Click filter. That way you choose the right attenuation for each workplace, while still hearing your colleagues and warning signals. Custom earplugs are small, barely noticeable and come with at least 2 years’ warranty. You’ll find all the options on hearing protection for work.

For employersProtect your team's hearingFrom 3 people, we come to your company to take impressions. Tell us where you are and request a no-obligation quote. Request a quote