As a result of exposure to sound, anyone working in the music and entertainment industries, such as performing musicians, may be at risk of hearing impairment and other health issues.
While music is not considered noise, it is subject to the same restrictions as other workplaces. Our hearing is priceless, and it is essential to professional musicians’ livelihoods and our enjoyment of the music we listen to. Employers have a legal obligation to safeguard their employees from harm to their hearing.
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Hearing Loss in the Entertainment Industry: How Can Noise Harm Your Hearing?
A decline in your capacity to hear or interpret words and noises around you is known as hearing loss. Hearing loss occurs when any portion of the ear or the nerves that transmit sound information to the brain do not function properly.
When key components of the ear are injured beyond repair, however, loss of hearing might become permanent. It can be caused by damage to any portion of the ear – the inner ear is particularly vulnerable to loud sounds (cochlea).
It can be caused by a single exposure to extremely loud noises or by listening to loud sounds over an extended period of time. Loud noise can harm the cochlea’s cells and membranes.
Listening to loud noise over an extended period of time can overwork hair cells in the ear, causing them to die. As long as the exposure continues, the hearing loss will proceed. Even after noise exposure has ended, negative consequences may persist. In most cases, damage to the inner ear or auditory nerve system is irreversible.
Long-term noise exposure of up to 85 decibels can harm your hearing. Loud noise exposure is the second leading cause of hearing loss, behind age-related hearing loss.
How Much Is the Entertainment Industry Responsible for Hearing Problems
According to research, the majority of music venue employees (70%) are exposed to noise levels that exceed the daily suggested limit. Worryingly, the majority of them said they had never used hearing protection and just 15% said they had worn hearing gear on a regular basis.
Several studies have shown that persons working in the music and entertainment industries are more likely to develop hearing problems as a result of their exposure to excessive sound levels.
Professional musicians are ‘four times as likely as the general public to have noise-induced hearing loss,’ according to the Hearing Health Foundation. The effect of noise on hearing is a hot topic in occupational health, with the World Health Organization (WHO) estimating that “noise exposure leads to 22% of workplace-related health concerns.”
The reality is that recreational noise exposure is as, if not more than excessive levels of noise in the job when it comes to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). The WHO highlighted entertainment venues as a major source of noise-induced hearing loss in 2015 and a study indicated that ‘non-occupational NIHL affects more than 40 million adult Americans between the ages of 20 and 69.
Hearing Loss in the Entertainment Industry: Hearing Hazards
When it comes to health and safety, the entertainment business is often overlooked. Many workers in this industry accept noise as a part of their job, and despite warnings, most companies do nothing to offer adequate hearing protection.
The Control of Noise at Work Legislation 2005 will take effect in April 2008, replacing the previous regulations protecting employees in the music and entertainment industries from excessive noise (Noise Regulations).
This recognized that music is unique in that it is the noise made for the sake of enjoyment, and that realistic standards are needed to enable workers, employees, and freelancers in the music and entertainment industries to preserve their hearing and livelihoods.
According to the Hearing Health Foundation, musicians are four times more likely than the general population to have noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and 57 percent more likely to develop tinnitus. Many notable artists, such as Neil Young, Barbra Streisand, and Phil Collins have openly spoken about their battles with hearing impairments and loss throughout the years.
Long-term exposure to loud noises, such as that experienced by musicians during concerts and performances, can damage or destroy the sensory hair cells in the inner ear, resulting in noise-induced hearing loss. Tinnitus, or a buzzing or ringing in the ears, can be caused by a variety of medical disorders, including noise-induced hearing loss, as well as a side effect of some drugs.
Type of Workplace and Activities Producing Excessive Noise
| Type of workplace | Activities producing excessive noise | People affected |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels, Taverns, Nightclubs & Bars | Bands playing music, DJ’s playing music, Karaoke performers | Bar staff, waiting staff, kitchen staff, performers, DJ’s, technical staff, security staff, customers. |
| Clubs (Hospitality), Discos and Casinos | Floor shows which include loud music, Bands playing loud music, DJ’s playing loud music | Restaurant staff, waiting staff, bar staff, performers, technical staff, cashiers, security staff, customers |
| Concert halls and theatres | Bands, orchestras, and music groups, recorded music for dance | Producers, directors, venue staff, performers, technical staff, audience, security staff, first aiders, catering staff |
| Cafes and Restaurants | Theatre restaurant performances, bands playing music, loud recorded music | Catering staff, bar staff, kitchen staff, waiting staff, performers, technical staff, customers. |
| Performing arts venues | High sound levels during rehearsals and performances | Performers, technical staff, house staff, audience |
| Education establishments | School bands playing loudly, recorded music playing loudly at school dances | Teachers, other staff, students, performers, DJ’s |
| Recorded music retail establishment | Playing tapes, CDs and records loudly | Sales staff, managers, customers. |
| Recreation venues | Loud recorded music during exercise classes | Instructors, students |
Hearing Loss in the Entertainment Industry: Employers Are Required to
- Employees must be aware that the Noise Regulations apply to them, and health surveillance must be conducted if there is a health risk.
- Assess the risks that noise at work poses to employees; take steps to reduce the noise exposure that causes those risks.
- Provide employees with hearing protection if the noise exposure cannot be reduced sufficiently through other means.
- Ensure that the legal limits on noise exposure are not exceeded.
- Provide employees with information, instruction, and training.
Hearing Loss in the Entertainment Industry: Workers Compensation
Hearing loss workers’ compensation benefits are largely undiscovered benefits covering hearing health care, which is often uninsured. Many health insurance policies and programs like Medicare do not cover hearing aid purchases but workers’ compensation can. It also pays for the disability of hearing loss just as it does for the loss of eyesight or other injuries.
Aging populations, advances in technology, and greater sensitivity to hearing loss are bringing more attention to financing hearing health care. For the most part, those who qualify for hearing loss workers’ compensation benefits are retired hearing-impaired workers who live on fixed incomes.
Always feel free to ask Johnson Law Offices about the process, the law, or an individual case. The legal, medical, and audio-metric questions that come into play in a hearing loss workers’ compensation claim can be complicated.
The claims require attention to detail mixed with an ability to work well with hearing-impaired retirees and their families, especially spouses, and their hearing health care professionals.
Sources
- https://www.hsa.ie/eng/Publications_and_Forms/Publications/Information_Sheets/Noise_in_Entertainment_2012.pdf
- https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/updates/upd-08-04-20.html
- https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/hearing_loss/how_does_loud_noise_cause_hearing_loss/
- https://www.netlawman.co.uk/ia/noise-exposure-rules-hospitality