Quote:
Originally Posted by
s4nder 
It depends on the duration. Half an hour a day of 100 dB isn't that harmful. However, I dread to think of all the people who hit night clubs every Friday and Saturday only to endure 120 dB noise for eight hours.
Thats based on the OSHA (and other) standards for the workplace. They are not the final word in safety.
They are not standards of what is harmful, or dangerous. Rather they are standards of the least safe condition someone can be exposed to in the workplace (and for what duration in this case) and the minimum effort the employer is expected to exert to reduce these risks to a level that is considered acceptable. Why expose yourself to something more harmful than necessary totally voluntarily? Its not that people who hold head-SPL contests dont know that what they are doing is dangerous, they frequently quote the OSHA standards in reply to the implication that they listen loud, misinterpreting them as a standard of what is safe.
Its not that they could not listen quieter either, 80db is pretty loud (IMO) and clearly safer than 100db for any duration. Whether 80db is the final word for unlimited duration of safe listening is something I disagree with the OSHA standard on: if any employer could afford to do better in a factory I would much prefer that. Unfortunately making a factory run at 70db is not practical when cost is considered, but makin the man money is more important than your ears if your working on an assembly line.
Ooh, add to that the question of who listens to music for just 1/2 hour? thats half of an average CD..... 100db for an hour at least...
Edited by nikongod - 7/16/10 at 12:59pm
