Loading …
Jet engines are loud far beyond what the ear can tolerate unprotected – here's how regulations protect your hearing
Stand close to a plane with engines running, and you feel it right away: the noise is not just loud, it's physical. The apron is one of the most noisy work environments you can have, and precisely because of that, hearing protection is not an offer you can decline — it's a permanent part of your personal protective equipment.
A hearing loss rarely creeps in all at once. It typically develops after repeated exposure to high noise over months and years and once damage occurs it cannot be fixed — hearing does not come back. This makes noise one of the occupational health risks that is easiest to overlook in everyday life because the consequence does not show immediately.
The Labour Authority's rules for noise in the workplace set clear limits for how much noise you are exposed to. Already at 80 dB(A) the employer must provide hearing protection for you. When the noise level reaches 85 dB(A) it shifts from an offer to a requirement: you must use the hearing protection and the employer must at the same time work to dampen the noise source itself. No employee may at all be exposed to a total daily noise load exceeding 85 dB(A).
| Sound level | Maximum exposure time per day |
|---|---|
| 85 dB(A) | 8 hours |
| 88 dB(A) | 4 hours |
| 91 dB(A) | 2 hours |
| 94 dB(A) | 1 hour |
| 97 dB(A) | 30 minutes |
| 100 dB(A) | 15 minutes |
The employer has a duty to provide the right hearing protection and to work on reducing noise at the source where possible. But hearing protection only works if it is actually used correctly and consistently. View it as part of your professional pride along with wearing safety shoes and high-visibility clothing — it is not something you do for show but because the consequence of not doing it is permanent.