NoiseNews

Here’s an interesting article that has just been published in the Noise and Health Journal discussing the exposure of employees in music venues in the UK. For the study, the authors used the doseBadge Noise Dosimeter! Thanks to @NoiseHelp for the original Tweet.

Here’s the abstract:

Noise in most working environments is an unwanted by-product of the process. In most countries, noise exposure for workers has been controlled by legislation for many years.

In the music industry the “noise” is actually the “desired” product, and for a long time the UK entertainment industry was exempt from these regulations. From April 2008, however, it became regulated under the Noise at Work Regulations 2005, meaning that employers from orchestras to nightclubs are legally required to adhere to the same requirements (based on ISO 9612:2009) for controlling noise exposure for their staff that have been applied to other industries for many years.

A key question is to what degree, 2 years after implementation, these employers are complying with their legal responsibilities to protect the staff from noise? This study assessed four public music venues where live and/or recorded music is regularly played. Thirty staff members in different roles in the venues were monitored using noise dosimetry to determine noise exposure. Continue reading »