Overview of laws and regulations aimed at protecting the hearing of patrons within entertainment venues

Abstract

Background Recreational noise—specifically loud music experienced at music venues—has been recognized as a hazard for hearing damage and associated pathologies such as tinnitus. In Europe and other countries around the world, there is a range of regulatory and legislative approaches to managing the sound levels and minimizing the risk of hearing damage for those attending music venues. It is important to have an understanding of these different approaches to inform the development of future regulations and legislation. Methods In December 2018, an online search of legislative instruments was conducted, and we identified 18 items that were aimed at protecting the hearing of people attending entertainment venues. Results Twelve documents were from European jurisdictions and the remainder were from cities or states of North and South America. The regulatory measures included in the documents ranged from sound level limitations, real-time sound exposure monitoring, mandatory supply of protective devices, requirements for signage and warnings, loudspeaker placement restrictions and the provision of ‘quiet spaces’. Conclusions European countries are well advanced in terms of providing legislation and other regulatory documents aimed at protecting people at entertainment venues when compared with the rest of the world. Future research is required to assess the effectiveness of these regulatory measures in reducing the risk associated with sound exposure at music venues.

Trends in prevalence of hearing loss in adults in the USA 1999–2018: a cross-sectional study

“…On the other hand, as an economy develops, people have more opportunities and time to be exposed to recreational noise. Although noise control policies and regulations in entertainment venues have been developed to help people avoid exposure to loud noise [ 28 , 29 ], the increasing prevalence of hearing loss associated with non-occupational noise exposure indicates that more effective measures regarding noise control and hearing protection are needed.…”

Sound Level Monitoring at Live Events, Part 1–Live Dynamic Range

“…Sound level monitoring and management at live events is becoming increasingly important with the ongoing introduction of prescriptive sound level regulations [1]. The motivation of many regulations is twofold: protecting audience members from hearing damage and minimizing annoyance in the local community.…”

Sound Pressure Levels in Close Proximity to Sound-Reinforcement Loudspeakers

“…A small number of countries, most notably in European nations, already have regulations or guidelines in place to protect the hearing of audience members at venues and events 3 . Some of these include requirements restricting audience access to the area directly in front of the loudspeakers, where sound levels are generally at their highest.…”

“…For instance, guidelines from the UK Health and Safety Executive 4 state that, wherever possible, patrons should not be allowed within three metres of any loudspeaker, and that under no circumstances should the separation be less than one metre. Similarly, a local restriction imposed by the City of Ghent in the Flanders region of Belgium requires that audience members should be kept at least one metre away from any loudspeaker 3 . Austrian regulations 5 require patron access to the area around loudspeakers to be restricted if the sound level exceeds 100 dB LAeq in that area.…”