
(27/05/2014) A quarter of the UK workforce, including those working in Broadcast, use headphones for prolonged periods at work putting them at increased risk of noise induced hearing loss, according to a study by audio technology company, LimitEar. Workers listen to an average of 110 minutes whilst in the workplace, and a further 92 minutes outside of work hours.
In total, an estimated 7.6 million people in the UK are exposing themselves to over 3.5 hours of reproduced sound each day.
Despite the regulations being in place to protect UK employees, the majority of respondents (79%) are unaware that their employer is legally required to protect them from noise induced hearing loss (NIHL). The study also revealed that almost half (48%) of the respondents are concerned about losing their hearing, showing a growing need for employers to protect their staff effectively.
The research results come from a survey of 2,000 UK employees commissioned by LimitEar looking into the awareness of the European regulations, headphone usage and attitudes towards their hearing health.
Stephen Wheatley, Managing Director at LimitEar, commented: This research is representative of Britain's workforce generally but hundreds of thousands of employees such as call centre workers and emergency services are required to use headphones occupationally so are significantly more at risk of NIHL. As headphone usage in the workplace increases, employers need to ensure their staff is protected because ultimately, the employers are liable. This can be addressed through the use of technology, but first we need to raise awareness of the issue.
Ralph Holme, Head of Biomedical Research at Action on Hearing Loss, added: We're extremely concerned by these findings - and question how loudly people are listening to their headphones for such long periods of time. It's crucial that employers take responsibility for noise levels at work and put practical steps in place to ensure that employees' hearing is protected. Hearing loss must start being considered as the serious health issue it is. It can impact relationships with friends, family, staying in employment and has even been linked with other conditions like dementia. The damage to your hearing caused by prolonged exposure to loud noise is irreversible, but it can be easily prevented.
European regulations stipulate that workers should not be exposed to average noise levels of 85dB (equivalent to busy city traffic from kerbside) or above over an eight hour period. Prolonged exposure to noise above the average limit of 85dB can result in Noise Induced Hearing Loss. For example, when listening to an MP3 player at full volume, this generates 100dB of sound, meaning you should only listen to it for a maximum of fifteen minutes or risk hearing damage.
LimitEar is a UK-based company specialising in audio technologies that protect headphone and earpiece users from serious irreversible conditions, such as Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL). LimitEar patented Hearing Dose Management (HDM) technology can be integrated into any headset, headphones or earpieces, to help prevent NIHL by ensuring that the average level the user is experiencing does not exceed safe levels.
Most recent headlines
04/09/2025
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE), in collaboration with Dalet, has been a...
30/04/2025
WASHINGTON In a wide-ranging press conference, Federal Communications Commission Chair Brendan Carr had both good and bad news for broadcasters, stressing that ...
30/04/2025
TORONTO Cignal TV is relying on Quickplay's Shorts tool for its recently launched Pilipinas Live Shorts service, available to millions of users of Pilipinas...
30/04/2025
NEW YORK Steve Lanzano will retire as president and CEO of the Television Bureau of Advertising at year-end, the group said....
30/04/2025
The news production tech provider nxtedition is reporting that it supplied a complete newsroom system to Collective Newsroom, an independent news producer based...
30/04/2025
NEW YORK As part of a major push to advance the role that artificial intelligence (AI) plays in the advertising industry, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IA...
30/04/2025
Uzbekistan Airways is the latest airline to choose SES's network, while Thai...
30/04/2025
Loaded Uses Blackmagic Design for shroud Subathon Live Streams
Brie Clayton April 29, 2025
0 Comments
Blackmagic Studio Cameras and Micro Studio Camer...
30/04/2025
Help shape the future of video creator tools with MIDiA
Brie Clayton April 29, 2025
0 Comments
After a successful debut in 2024, MIDiA is calling once...
30/04/2025
Tania Le n and Kelli O'Hara to be Honored at Boston Conservatory at Berklee&...
30/04/2025
Andr 3000 and Sara Bareilles to Receive Honorary Doctorates at Berklee College ...
29/04/2025
NAB Show 2025 What a great show! Our team nailed it at NAB Show 2025 with all our friends at Norwia and CVE Communication Video Engineering. Here's a few of...
29/04/2025
(L-R) Tim Rarus, Bridgetta Bourne, Nyle DiMarco, Jerry Covell, Greg Hlibok, and Davis Guggenheim attend the premiere of Deaf President Now! at Eccles Theater i...
29/04/2025
Idag rapporterar vi f r det f rsta kvartalet 2025, och vi inleder ret starkt med ett resultat som vertr ffar f rv ntningarna inom v ra nyckeltal. Vi levererad...
29/04/2025
Today, we announced our first quarter 2025 earnings, starting the year off strong by outperforming across key metrics, including the highest Q1 Subscriber net a...
29/04/2025
April is Arab Heritage Month, a time to celebrate the vibrant creators from acro...
29/04/2025
Participants in the 2025 Research Camp at SGL Carbon and the Technische Hochschu...
29/04/2025
Calrec has been putting sound in the picture for more than six decades and is still pushing the boundaries of audio broadcasting with a full range of connected ...
29/04/2025
SAN JOSE, Calif. Cost-conscious TV viewers are cutting back spending on streaming services, preferring quality programming over a large number of choices, TiVo ...
29/04/2025
NEW YORK A new Nielsen report highlights how Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) consumers are driving major shifts in digital commerc...
29/04/2025
COW Job Listing: Digital Video Editor, Remote
Brie Clayton April 29, 2025
0 Comments
Digital Video Editor
April 23, 2025COW Job Listing: Opportunity...
29/04/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has adopted a new licensing framework and new sharing rules for the lower 37-GHz spectrum band that the agency ...
29/04/2025
WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission has unanimously voted to pass a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that the agency said would codify certain foreign...
29/04/2025
Deity Microphones are excited to add the Deity THEOS DXTX Plug-On Transmitter to the THEOS family. The DXTX is packed full of advanced features designed to enha...
29/04/2025
X-Rite Unveils Latest Color Management Innovations During Global Tour Across Pla...
29/04/2025
UKTV has acquired the UK premiers of The Hunting Party, the new hit crime proced...
29/04/2025
April 29th, 2025 Press Materials Available Here
Tribeca Festival 2025 Unveils Star-studded Talks, Reunions & Retrospectives
Festival Celebrates Milestone Ann...
29/04/2025
Fascinating characters: Behind the Grand Slam Track partnership of Momentum Broa...
29/04/2025
Big package: Groundbreaking AR for live athletics comes to Grand Slam Track By ...
29/04/2025
High benchmark: Inside the inaugural Grand Slam Track production from Jamaica B...
29/04/2025
Engagement in the Live Stream: The New Age of Delivering the Game A conversation of streaming leaders dissects the feature sets that are winning in live sports ...
29/04/2025
Conveying emotion: BBC Sport on bringing the 45th London Marathon to viewers By Heather McLean
Monday, April 28, 2025 - 14:35
Print This Story
BBC Sport l...
29/04/2025
Tuesday 29 April 2025
The Women's Professional Leagues can confirm that thi...
29/04/2025
Rohde & Schwarz presents its advanced solutions for power electronics testing an...
29/04/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Debuts First Korean Original Animated Film Lost in St...
29/04/2025
Back to All News
Enter the World of Perfect Job' A Thrilling New Series of...
29/04/2025
Back to All News
Forget You Not' Unveils Heartfelt Trailer Exploring Famil...
29/04/2025
Back to All News
Olympo Arrives on Netflix on June 20thPlay Video
Play Video
Entertainment
29 April 2025
GlobalSpain
Link copied to clipboard
Discover th...
29/04/2025
Back to All News
Netflix Announces Alfred Hitchcock Licensed Collection and Par...
29/04/2025
Back to All News
New 100% Mexican Series Are on the Way
New Mexican series Q2 2025
Entertainment
29 April 2025
GlobalMexico
Link copied to clipboard
As p...
29/04/2025
Arvato Systems Joins KI Park e.V.
Shaping the future of artificial intelligence together
Arvato Systems is joining KI Park to advance the use of Artificial I...
29/04/2025
Ossett and Denby Dale MP goes behind the scenes at our Yorkshire landmark site
Arqiva, the UK's leading broadcast and communications infrastructure provide...
29/04/2025
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
In a world where identity fraud represents a critical vulnerability for citizens and societies, Thales is leading the transforma...
29/04/2025
Origin of life twist: New study challenges longstanding hypothesis on how first sugars formed Scripps Research and Georgia Institute of Technology scientists...
28/04/2025
Podcasts have become a cornerstone of the Spotify experience, evolving from a ni...
28/04/2025
Each April, runners and walkers of all stripes gather together in Lower Manhattan for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum 5K. This race remembers those killed on Septemb...
28/04/2025
MELBOURNE, Fla., April 29, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) Chief Financial Officer and Aerojet Rocketdyne President Ken Bedingfield will present at Bar...
28/04/2025
HACKENSACK, NJ LiveU, a global provider of live IP-video contribution, production and distribution solutions, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Actus...
28/04/2025
LiveU, the global leader in live IP-video contribution, production and distribution solutions, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Actus Digital's ...
28/04/2025
Ikegami Electronics (Europe) will promote the latest additions to its range of broadcast-quality television production equipment at Broadcast Innovation Day (BI...