Sound in a Night Club - a Short Surface Study
1 Sound in a Night Club
1.1 Overview
Noise in the workplace is a very important aspect to evaluate and make provision for. The consequences of working in an unsuitable environment with regards to noise can be severe and includes the possible risk of permanent hearing damage. In an environment such as a night club, the continuous exposure to noise due to the loud music can prove to be dangerous.
1.2 Scope
The scope of this project includes measuring and analyzing the sound in Catwalk in order to determine whether it is a suitable working environment for the employees. For the purpose of this study, we will assume that the workers work eight hour shifts with continuous exposure to the noise. The parties most affected by the noise, other than the clientele, would be the barmen, the DJ and the cleaning staff.
1.3 Background
A brief background on sound and how it influences the human ear will be discussed in this section. Sound has two aspects which influences the surrounding environment, namely the amplitude of the sound waves, and the frequency. 1.3.1 Amplitude The amplitude of a sound wave determines the intensity or “loudness” of the wave and is normally measure in decibels [dB]. Amplitude is the measured of the “height” of the wave. Higher amplitude would result in a louder sound whereas lower amplitude would result in softer sound. The human ear can hear within the range of 0dB to 140 dB, if the hearing is undamaged. In healthy, undamaged human ears the hearing threshold is 0dB. If sound is measured at 0dB it does not indicate the absence of sound. A very well trained undamaged human ear can hear an increase of 1 dB, a 3 dB increase is noticeable by some, and a 5 dB increase is more readily noticeable. Damage to the ear would start to occur at long term exposure to 90 – 95 dB, but short term exposure to roughly 140 dB could result in permanent hearing loss. To put the range of decibels we are exposed to into perspective Table 3.1 on the next page shows a
1.1 Overview
Noise in the workplace is a very important aspect to evaluate and make provision for. The consequences of working in an unsuitable environment with regards to noise can be severe and includes the possible risk of permanent hearing damage. In an environment such as a night club, the continuous exposure to noise due to the loud music can prove to be dangerous.
1.2 Scope
The scope of this project includes measuring and analyzing the sound in Catwalk in order to determine whether it is a suitable working environment for the employees. For the purpose of this study, we will assume that the workers work eight hour shifts with continuous exposure to the noise. The parties most affected by the noise, other than the clientele, would be the barmen, the DJ and the cleaning staff.
1.3 Background
A brief background on sound and how it influences the human ear will be discussed in this section. Sound has two aspects which influences the surrounding environment, namely the amplitude of the sound waves, and the frequency. 1.3.1 Amplitude The amplitude of a sound wave determines the intensity or “loudness” of the wave and is normally measure in decibels [dB]. Amplitude is the measured of the “height” of the wave. Higher amplitude would result in a louder sound whereas lower amplitude would result in softer sound. The human ear can hear within the range of 0dB to 140 dB, if the hearing is undamaged. In healthy, undamaged human ears the hearing threshold is 0dB. If sound is measured at 0dB it does not indicate the absence of sound. A very well trained undamaged human ear can hear an increase of 1 dB, a 3 dB increase is noticeable by some, and a 5 dB increase is more readily noticeable. Damage to the ear would start to occur at long term exposure to 90 – 95 dB, but short term exposure to roughly 140 dB could result in permanent hearing loss. To put the range of decibels we are exposed to into perspective Table 3.1 on the next page shows a
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