The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates 1.1 billion young people worldwide are at risk of hearing loss due to unsafe listening practices. This includes exposure to loud sounds on personal audio devices and in noisy entertainment venues.
In order to address this concern, WHO has launched the Make Listening Safe initiative, which aims to reduce hearing loss caused by listening to loud sounds, by promoting safe listening.
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What is safe listening?
The term safe listening simply refers to a specific listening behaviour that does not put your hearing at risk.
To risk your hearing depends on how loud, for how long and how often you are exposed to loud sounds, in venues, at work or at home.
Sensory cells can tolerate only a certain amount of daily noise before being damaged: this amount is called the daily sound allowance. It's just like your weekly pocket money: you have a certain amount to spend, and the louder or longer you are exposed to high levels of sound, the more you 'spend'. If you exceed your daily sound allowance it harms your ears and hearing, and over time the result is hearing loss.
If you exceed your daily sound allowance, over time the result is hearing loss.
How is loudness measured? Just what is dB?
The unit of measurement used to express the intensity of a sound is the decibel (dB). A whisper is around 30 dB and normal conversation approximately 60 dB. Your earphones need to be about the same. Your risk of losing your hearing depends on how loud, for how long and how often you are exposed to loud sounds.
The WHO way to make your listening safer
- Keep the volume down, by staying within the 80 dB limit as far as possible for no longer than 40 hours per week.
- Wear earplugs when visiting discos, bars, arenas hosting sporting events and concerts and other noisy places.
- Use noise-cancelling earphones/headphones, as these can reduce the need to raise the volume when you are in a noisy environment, such as when travelling on a train or bus.
- Monitor and respect safe listening levels, and stay within your daily sound allowance.
- Limit the daily use of your personal audio devices.
- Move away from loud sounds by keeping a distance between yourself and the sound source such as speakers.
- Reduce your frequency of visiting noisy places.
- Take short listening breaks (go to a quiet place or corner and allow your ears to rest).
- On some days you may visit noisy places, where the high level of sound also affects your daily sound allowance. If you choose to listen, you should reduce your listening volume and your listening time.
To practice safe listening, check what's available on your personal audio device; there is software that monitors your daily sound allowance. At work take extra care to ensure your hearing is protected at all times.
Dawn Rasmussen
I love the writing game. It gets me bouncing out of bed, and dragging my feet at night when I have to finish up for the day. I started at The Bendigo Advertiser as the Creative Services Coordinator, and after many changes, I have ended up with a great 12 years with ACM (love that long service leave too as my secret gardens need tending sometimes). Working from home is tops and I hope I have many more productive times ahead.
I love the writing game. It gets me bouncing out of bed, and dragging my feet at night when I have to finish up for the day. I started at The Bendigo Advertiser as the Creative Services Coordinator, and after many changes, I have ended up with a great 12 years with ACM (love that long service leave too as my secret gardens need tending sometimes). Working from home is tops and I hope I have many more productive times ahead.
