Global nightlife noise-health guidelines

Global nightlife noise-health guidelines
And why they are problematic for you

If you work in loud music environments like a DJ, sound engineer, bar staff, or security, occupational noise guidelines from organisations like OSHA and NIOSH are designed to protect you.

These guidelines set exposure limits based on an 8-hour workday, typically recommending a maximum of 85 dB over that time. For many years, these were extrapolated to the nightclub setting for music fans like you.

However more recently, guidelines have been created for recreational noise, to manage shorter, more intense exposures experienced by the rest of us.

In the World Health Organisations 2022 standard, they recommended a safe average sound level limit of 100 dBa for music venues.

But here’s the issue: according to the WHO if you party in a venue adhering to the 100 dBa level, your ears are still only safe if you spend 2 hours or less in loud venues per month.

Research shows that the average clubber blows past this, spending closer to 5–6 hours per visit — well beyond what’s considered safe!

Put simply, your ear health is not protected by international guidelines.

So what are the options for the health forward clubber who wants to dance for longer without the side-effects.

For the clubber who wants to avoid the hearing hangover and keep their life soundtrack sounding crisp and clear?

Lowering volume levels in venues below 100 dB might seem like a solution, but for many of us, this would compromise the immersive music experience.

Always wearing earplugs is possible but they may not always be required, especially outdoor stages, resulting in an over-dampening of the music and a bad experience that can put people off wearing them in the future.

A good place to start is understanding your personal noise dose as it can guide you when you need to think about volume control and when you don’t. It can also help direct you to the most appropriate earplugs to wear based on how much time you spend in the party.