The German government has been creating regulations to stop music concerts and other public events from creating too much noise. While in the past the duration of an event determined the level of noise allowed, there is now one set level for all: 135 dB. Should this level be exceeded, guests should be told about the risk to their hearing.

Earlier, events with a noise level of 95 dB had a maximum of two hours’ duration; events with a noise level of 102 dB had a one hour limitation. These days, there are new regulations and time duration is no longer a factor. This means event co-ordinators have a new role to play by informing the audience of the possibility that their hearing may be affected, either through a public address system or by handing out pamphlets at the entrance and ticket office. This should happen as soon as the noise levels reach 85 dB. When noise levels reach or exceed 95 dB, guests should have the option to wear hearing protection such as earplugs. All guests should be told about this requirement and event co-ordinators are encouraged to use loudspeaker announcements or illuminated signs in the venue.

These new regulations were introduced in November 2007 and disallows noise levels over 135 dB. This applies to concerts, night clubs, theatres, cinemas as well as any other public event.

The guidelines are advisory, but because the courts allow them, everyone should follow it. Music venue operators have to comply with the guidelines and should only use loudspeakers and sound systems that have built-in limiters to prevent noise.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 25th, 2008 at 5:19 pm and is filed under Hearing Aid News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.