Noise-induced hearing loss, hyperacusis, and tinnitus have been associated with the frequent use at high volume of devices such as headphones, headsets, earpieces, earbuds, and True Wireless Stereo technologies of any type.

The initiative's main goal is to ensure that people of all ages can enjoy listening to music and other audio media in a manner that does not create a hearing risk. The WHO launched the Make Listening Safe initiative as part of the celebration of World Hearing Day on 3 March 2015.

Users can also take an online hearing test to see how well they hear in a noisy background. The Know Your Noise website has a Noise Risk Calculator that makes it possible and easy for users to identify and understand their levels of noise exposure (at work and play), and possible risks for hearing damage. The National Acoustic Laboratories (NAL), the research division of Hearing Australia, developed the Know Your Noise initiative, funded by the Australian Government Department of Health. This type of mannequin is simple and inexpensive to construct and is often an attention-grabber at schools, health fairs, clinic waiting rooms, etc. The Dangerous Decibels program promotes the use of 'Jolene' mannequins to measure output of PLSs as an educational tool to raise awareness of overexposure to sound through personal listening. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) has guidelines for safely listening to personal music players geared toward the 'tween' population (children aged 9–13 years). Several organizations have developed initiatives to promote safe listening habits. Public health and community interventions Following reports on hearing disorders from listening to music, additional recommendations and interventions to prevent adverse effects from sound-related recreational activities appear necessary. In 1995, the World Health Organization (WHO) similarly concluded that 24-hour average exposures at or below 70 dBA pose a negligible risk for hearing loss over a lifetime. In 1974, the US Environmental Protection Agency recommended a 24-hour exposure limit of 70 dBA, taking into account the lack of a 'rest period' for the ears when exposures are averaged over 24 hours and can occur every day of the year ( workplace exposure limits assume 16 hours of quiet between shifts and two days a week off). īecause of their availability, occupational data have been adapted to determine damage-risk criteria for sound exposures outside of work. For example, a sound level as high as 100 dBA can be safely listened to for only 15 minutes each day. Using an exchange rate, typically 3 dB, allowable listening time is halved as the sound level increases by the selected rate. Although specific regulations vary across the world, most workplace best practices consider 85 decibels (dB A-weighted) averaged over eight hours per day as the highest safe exposure level for a 40-year lifetime exposure. They have been used to determine the limits of noise exposure in the workplace.īoth regulatory and recommended limits for noise exposure were developed from hearing and noise data obtained in occupational settings, where exposure to loud sounds is frequent and can last for decades. These three factors characterize the overall sound energy level that reaches a person's ears and can be used to calculate a noise dose. The risk of negative health effects from sound exposures (be it noise or music) is primarily determined by the intensity of the sound ( loudness), duration of the event, and frequency of that exposure. While safe listening does not address exposure to unwanted sounds (which are termed noise) – for example, at work or from other noisy hobbies – it is an essential part of a comprehensive approach to total hearing health. Safe listening promotes strategies to prevent negative effects, including hearing loss, tinnitus, and hyperacusis.

While research shows that repeated exposures to any loud sounds can cause hearing disorders and other health effects, safe listening applies specifically to voluntary listening through personal listening systems, personal sound amplification products (PSAPs), or at entertainment venues and events. Safe listening is a framework for health promotion actions to ensure that sound-related recreational activities (such as concerts, nightclubs, and listening to music, broadcasts, or podcasts) do not pose a risk to hearing. Avoiding hearing damage from intentionally heard sounds

Safe and sound audio