The 10 Most Ear-Splittingly Noisy Professions: Part Two

There are some obvious drawbacks to working in a noisy profession. There’s the fact that excessive noise can be harmful to your health, causing hearing damage, stress and sleep deprivation. It can be also challenging if you need to focus and it can put a real dampener on your motivation. 

That said, if you don’t get on that well with your colleagues, you might be glad that it saves you from having awkward conversations. 

In any case, if you’re particularly noise-averse, it makes sense to avoid one of these five professions, which could quite literally be deafening…

5: Rock star

Ever been tempted by the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle? The idea of traveling the world, partying, and trashing the odd hotel room is appealing to many people. But the reality of performing on stage with a live band night after night probably won’t do a great deal for your hearing. That’s because rock stars are subjected to as much as 110 decibels of noise during their concerts, way above the recommended exposure level of 87 decibels. 

4: Nightclub bar staff

To work in a nightclub, it really helps if you own a pair of earplugs. That’s because the noise can reach up to 155 decibels when that beat drops, which is way above the danger limit. During a shift, nightclub bar staff could be exposed to 115 decibels on average. So if you’re planning on dancing until the early hours anytime soon, don’t be surprised if they rely on lip-reading to take your drinks order. 

3: Construction worker

There’s plenty of noise on a construction site: cement mixers, electric saws, bricklayers singing along to 80s hits on the site radio… but the noisiest of them all is the jack hammer, which can reach 130 decibels when being used to penetrate concrete. That’s why some operators use portable acoustic barriers to protect nearby residents (and other tradesmen on site) from the deafening sounds. 

2: Formula One driver

Formula One cars aren’t just fast — they’re also exceptionally loud. It’s a wonder Max Verstappen and his rivals ever hear the instructions coming over their team radios given that the roars from their vehicles’ engines reach 135 decibels. That, in addition to the G-force and vibrations they experience, must make them feel like they’ve been in a washing machine spin cycle by the time the race is over. 

1: Airport ground staff

And so onto the noisiest profession. The people who work on and around airport runways play important roles, including security, schedule organisation, aircraft management and maintenance. And all of that must be hard to do when competing against the sound of jet engines taking off, as they reach noise levels of up to 140 decibels. So the next time you fly off on holiday, give the ground staff a grateful nod. 

At IAC Acoustics, we provide noise control solutions for a number of organisations across a range of industries. Get in touch to find out how we can help your business reduce the impact of potentially damaging noise.