Page 36 - OHS, November/December 2024

N O I S E M O N I T O R I N G
Are you listening to the complaints? Noise Monitoring in the
Hospitality Industry
How a thorough monitoring program protects workers in hospitality—and also improves
guest satisfaction in the process.
BY TIM TURNEY
i H_Ko/stock.adobe.com
States, such as hotels, restaurants
Hospitality venues in the United
and bars, are notoriously noisy
environments, for both employ-
ees and guests. Th is can lead not only to
reputational damage when the noise be-
comes too much, but it also can pose po-
tential health risks. Discussions of noise
complaints online are commonplace, and
the National Sleep Foundation found that
exposure to noise pollution during sleep
can cause cardiovascular issues.1 Th ere are
numerous case studies of hospitality staff
suff ering from occupational noise induced
hearing loss (NIHL) and a recent study by
NIOSH found that hearing loss aff ected 17
percent of all service industry workers.2
Regulations were brought into the Unit-
ed States in 1972 with Th e Noise Control
Act which state that employers must con-
trol the level of noise exposure from almost
all sources of noise. In the hospitality in-
dustry, this can include motor vehicles de-
livering goods, HVAC systems and appli-
ances like blenders and coff ee grinders. For
front of house workers this can also mean
loud music from music or other entertain-
ment activities. Th e Occupational Safety
and Health Administration (OSHA) sets
limits to the level of noise that is acceptable
in the workplace with local and state gov-
ernments responsible for the enforcement.
OSHA standards state that employ-
ers must implement a hearing conserva-
tion program when noise exposure is at
or above 85 decibels(dB) averaged over 8
working hours, or an 8-hour time-weight-
ed average (TWA). In many countries, for
example the United Kingdom, workers in
the entertainment industry are specifi cally
part of workplace noise regulations.3
What Can Employers Do?
Th e only way for employers to quantify the
level of noise that workers are exposed to is
36 Occupational Health & Safety | NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2024 www.ohsonline.com