How loud is 80 decibels and is it too loud?

Did you know that the level of noise at which employers must provide workers with information and training and carry out risk assessments in now 80 decibels (db), as stated by the Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2015. Given the fact businesses are required by law to undergo safety and precautionary measures to protect the hearing of employees when noise reaches an 80db decibel level, it;s safe to say that the 80db noise level is too loud. But exactly how loud is it?

80 db: How loud is this?

Decibels are of course the unit used to measure the intensity of sound. On the scale of decibels, the 0db is the smallest rating, which is near total silence. To put decibels into context,the engine of an aeroplane is approximately 1,000,000,000,000 times more powerful than near total silence.
It is also important to remember when measuring noise levels that distance affects the intensity of sound and the further away you are from the source of the sound, the more the power is diminished.
As Hearnet.com notes, a normal conversation at a distance of around 3-5 feet away is 60-70 db and the dial of a telephone is around 80db decibels. Another example of a noise that is around the 80-90 decibel level is chamber music in a small auditorium, which is approximately 75-85 db. Industrial machinery such as power saws and power mowers creep up to around 107-110db.

80 decibels how loud

Other examples of 80db noise level, as stated by Industrial Noise Control, is the disposal of rubbish, a freight train at a distance of around 15 metres away, a car wash at a 20 foot distance, a diesel truck travelling at 40 mph and at a distance of 50 foot, a food blender and a propeller plane flying overhead at 1000 feet. Another example of how loud an 80db noise exposure is an alarm clock, which, as we’ve all likely to have experienced, seems sickeningly loud when it wakes us from a deep sleep in the early hours of the morning!
For those untrained in noise level exposure and the potential problems it can create, 80db decibel doesn’t seem much louder than 70 decibels. However, it is important to note that a noise churning out an 80db decibel level is twice as loud as 70db and has the potential to cause damage in eight hours of exposure.
As we can see from the above being exposed to sources of sound of more than 80 decibels over prolonged periods of time could cause hearing problems.
Whilst the HSE stipulates that employers must provide hearing protection zones and hearing protection in areas of 85 decibels or more (daily or weekly exposure), 80 decibels is the level when information, training and assessments must be carried out to reduce the risk of noise levels creating hearing problems for employees.
Don’t run the risk of damaging the hearing or yourself or your employees by carrying out the necessary precautions and assessments when sound reaches or exceeds the 80 db noise level.