How Loud is too Loud?

It’s a noisy world out there and most people don’t know that there are many every day noises that can cause hearing loss.  It is important to be aware of which sounds are damaging to your ears in order to protect your hearing.

Before we discuss what sounds can cause permanent damage, we need to briefly define the word decibel, a term that will aid in the understanding of damaging noise levels.  A decibel is a unit of measurement for sound.  The louder a sound, the higher the decibel level. 

The table below, which is similar to the  Audiogram of Familiar Sounds, shows everyday sounds and where they occur in relation to volume (decibel or dB).  For example, on average, a dog’s bark occurs at 250 Hz, which is a low frequency sound, at about 70 decibels.  Rock music is much louder, therefore much more damaging to your ears, clocking in at an excruciating 120 dB. Believe it or not, there recently was a popular brand of chips that had to pull its new eco-friendly bag off the shelves because it was too loud. Yes, you heard that right- a chip bag that could cause hearing loss.  How loud was this bag? A whopping 95 dB, which is slightly louder than a motorcycle.

Safety First

Now that you have a better understanding of how sound is measured, let’s outline safety regulations that employers must implement to help prevent hearing loss caused by noise in the workplace in order to give you a better idea of what decibel sounds are dangerous. 

Keeping these permissible noise level exposure times in mind will help you prevent noise induced hearing loss in everyday life.  Below is a chart that describes how many hours per day an employee can be subject to various noise levels.  The higher the noise level, the less time the employee is permitted to be exposed to the hazardous sounds.  Therefore, whether you work in a noisy environment or not, it would be in your best interest to limit the amount of time you are exposed to loud sounds such as power tools, lawn mowers, gunshots, etc so as to not damage your hearing. In addition, it is very important to always wear hearing protection regardless of the amount of time that will be spent in a noisy environment.

When comparing the Audiogram of Familiar Sounds with the OSHA Daily Permissible Noise Level Exposure chart, you will get a better perspective on what sounds are damaging to your hearing as well as how much exposure time can increase the risk of permanant damage.