Ear-splitting music in bars, pubs and clubs is putting half a million workers at risk of permanently damaging or losing their hearing, according to the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) and TUC.
According to the organisations not enough is being done to protect the hearing of UK workers, 170,000 of whom are believed to already suffer deafness, tinnitus or other ear conditions, the bodies reveal in a joint report today.
Noise Overload says that music played in UK nightclubs is so loud that in some cases it is like working two feet away from an airplane taking off - a level of 110dB(A).
Current UK regulations require employers to protect their workers' hearing if they are exposed daily to noise levels above 85 dB(A). But the report says there is little evidence of local authorities enforcing the rules in bars, pubs and clubs.
Employers are being called upon to take steps to reduce the damage being done to staff but the onus is largely upon local authorities to monitor and enforce the rules in place to protect employees from excessive noise levels.
One suggestion from the RNID is that employers provide earplugs for staff in noisy environments, review venue layouts and provide a noise-safe space for staff breaks.
In February 2006 a European directive will tighten up regulations on protecting workers' hearing. But the leisure industry has secured a two-year derogation, delaying the implementation until 2008.
Britain's pubs, bars and nightclubs employ 568,000 people as bar staff, glass collectors, security staff and DJs. This figure has increased by third since 1992.
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