UK CLUBS TO TURN IT DOWN
It's not everyday that DJs are told to turn the music down, especially
not by politicians
but now 365Mag can reveal that has just happened. The UK government is
set to
reduce the level of noise in British clubs by up to 5% from April 2006
with a law that is intended
to protect the hearing of those in the music industry.
When the new levels are passed by parliament in the Spring, employers in
clubs and
venues will be expected to protect their staffs hearing with a reduction
in volume and
a decrease in time spent exposed to excessive noise. Lawrence Waterman,
President of the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH)
says:
"We need to help employs who work in the music industry to understand
the risks of noise exposure".
According to UK Heath and Safety statistics, around 170,000 people
suffer from work related tinnitus,
deafness or other ear-related problems.
DJs who suffer from damaged hearing are Rocky from X-press 2 fame,
Laurent Garnier and Tall Paul,
who consulted a specialist in the late 90s, only to be told he had done
irreparable damage to his hearing.
This law raises the question of the use of ear filters once again. DJs
such as Roger Sanchez, Jeff Mills, Laurent Garnier,
Sander Kleinenberg and Erick Morillo all use custom-built earplugs to
protect the ears from those
dangerous high frequencies coming out of the monitors. Maybe the
familiar ringing in the ears
the next morning after a club-night could about to become a thing of the
past for those on
the dancefloor too after purchasing these plugs, or is that 'whistling'
sound simply an integral part of a good night out?
