The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has of strict rules to regulate work in the United States. For example, OSHA states that cranes must be assembled on firm, drained, and properly graded ground. They also regulate the use of hardhats around construction sites, and even workplace noise.
And that means international superstars like Beyonc? have to follow OSHA’s rules just like everyone else.
According to My Suburban Life, Beyonc? performs a very noisy job, much as ambulance operators, machinists, and lumberjacks do. And all of them have to follow OSHA’s noise protection rules, along with countless other U.S. workers who operate loud machinery or in noisy environments.
Audiologists state that exposure to a singular loud noise could result in permanent hearing loss. That’s why musical stars like Beyonc?, as well as her sound engineering team, need to not only focus on proper hearing safety, but also need to ensure hearing damage will not occur to any of the hundreds of thousands of fans that are listening to the live performance.
Noise levels are measured in decibels (Db), and hearing experts have stated that exposure to decibels between 70 and 90 Db can cause severe hearing damage. Exposure to a single Db sound like a gunshot at 150 Db can even cause immediate permanent damage.
Newsweek reports that a single night out at a Beyonc? concert, if the concertgoer isn’t careful, can result in acoustic trauma. The severity of acoustic trauma can range from minor pain to extreme pain and hearing loss. Most people can recoup their hearing after loud exposure due to loud music, but chronic exposure to such intensive concert sounds can eventually cause irreversible damage.
“Continued exposure to more than 85 Db of noise may cause gradual but permanent damage to hearing,” reports the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). “Noise can also hamper job performance, increase fatigue, and cause irritability.”
OSHA requires U.S. organizations to monitor workplace noise, institute safeguards, test hearing for each employee, and provide proper hearing protection for every employee.
