Glastonbury Festival

Noise

By Geoffrey "Deaf Geoff" Markson, ex-sound engineer to the stars.

Music's a big part of Glastonbury. A lot of people come mainly to listen to the bands. Lucky bastards.

It's like this : nowadays there is a piece of legislation called the Noise at Work Regulations. Loosely speaking, the regulations say that in any environment where workers are normally exposed to sound levels of 85dB(A) or over, employers are obliged to warn staff of the dangers of cumulative sound pressure hearing loss, and provide them with ear protection. At 90dB(A), employers must ensure that hearing protection is used. They call these levels the First and Second Action Levels respectively.

The Noise at Work Regulations haven't always been around, and lots of people my age who have been surrounded by rock and roll all their lives wish they had. Because they make people aware of the dangers of being exposed to high noise levels for long periods. Most younger sound engineers now wear ear protection at all times at an event except when they are doing their mix. Makes sense. And you will see other people around stages wearing ear plugs most of the time too.

But festival-goers are not at work ! You can expose yourself to whatever sound levels you wish ! So can I make a suggestion ? If you love music and want to continue enjoying it for years to come, look after your ears. Be aware that in front of the PA stacks at nearly all of the music stages at Glastonbury, even the smaller ones, you will be exposed to noise levels well in excess of the Second Action Level. Your ears can deal with it - for a short while. But if you are going to spend a long time at the stages remember to give your ears a break. If you've watched one band from right in front of the PA, try watching the next one from by the mixing position. And if you're determined to spend all day in the Dance Tent or right by the speaker stacks of one of the big stages, get some funky-coloured ear-plugs. They are the coolest thing to wear this year : it shows you're a real music-lover.

See the Royal National Institute for the Deaf stall next to the Pyramid, and pick up some ear plugs.

WARNING: EXCESSIVE EXPOSURE TO LOUD MUSIC MAY CAUSE DAMAGE TO YOUR HEARING.

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