The hazards of excessive noise and risks of hearing loss are not confined to the world of work. We seem to be living in an increasingly noisy world in whatever environment we find ourselves, including leisure spaces.

While legislation like the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2006 seeks to enforce employer duty of care to protect employees from excessive noise levels in the workplace, elsewhere risks of noise induced hearing loss may actually have increased.

Considerable efforts have been made in raising the awareness and promoting the dangers of hearing damage from excessively loud sound system at music events and venues, and warnings over high MP3 ear piece or headset volumes. However, there has also been controversy over the excessively loud sound tracks which seem to be an almost standard accompaniment to many large screen film releases in the last ten years at least.

According to the British Standards Institution (BSi) film trailers and cinema adverts can have average sound levels of 88db, which reach peaks of excessive noise up to 95db. The recommended noise level for feature films to be shown in the UK is 82db with an accepted “danger level” of 85 db. The Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2006 specify the wearing of ear protection when noise levels exceed 85 dB in the workplace during an 8 hour period.

Frequently some films, including those designated for family viewing, may average around 70 – 78 dB for a third at least of a two and a half to three hour overall duration. However, sound peaks of up to 95 dB have been registered, and commercials and trailers were found to be far louder than the actual main film. The 1998 film, Godzilla, peaked at a level of 118 dBA, louder than a pneumatic drill. The permissible exposure limit to noise at 118 dB is less than 15 secs.

While 2002 film ‘Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets’ averaged at 74 dB, with a peak recorded at 93 dB and ‘The Lord of the Rings, The Two Towers’ ( 2002) was even louder with an average of 78 dB and a peak of 95 dB, a list of the Top Ten of loudest movies ever was recently suggested by a film fan blog site :

1. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
2. Armageddon (1998)
3. The Fifth Element (1997)
4. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
5. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
6. Die Hard (1988)
7. Apocalypse Now (1979)
8. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
9. Fight Club (1999)
10. Akira (1988)