As the summer approaches, event producers are looking forward to hosting music events once more.

Many people who work in the event industry will also be looking forward to returning to work once more. but with loud events comes risk to staff physical health. As an event employer, you need to be on top of the latest safety guidelines and keep your staff safe.

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The risks of loud events

Loud events can be incredibly damaging to staff hearing. Constant exposure to loud music can damage the human ear and in particular the ear drum.

The employer’s responsibility

As an employer, you have a duty of care to your staff and their physical well-being while at work. Government health and safety guidelines are very clear about this. You should familiarise yourself with the regulations before the event.

As an employer, you should also provide adequate safety training to your staff. This includes temporary staff that are usually employed at loud music events. Make sure all your staff understands the safety requirements, have been trained and signed to confirm they understand their training.

This is also an essential part of your employer’s liability insurance, so stay on top of it.

The workwear needed

As an employer of staff at large and loud music events, you should be providing event staff with appropriate protective equipment to reduce the risk of damage to their hearing. Ear defenders are a fantastic option for keeping staff safe. Due to their size, they are a safer alternative to plugs that could become lodged in the ear canals of your staff.

The planning and checks

When conducting sound checks for your event, ensure that you are testing the decibel level in line with how noisy the crown will make the venue.

Zoning where your staff will work will also impact the damage that can happen to their hearing. Make sure your staff plans take into account how close staff will be to loudspeaker systems.

The overtime conundrum

Music events can have a tendency to overrun. Especially if the hyped-up crowd demands encores from their favorite artists.

Making sure music event workers don’t run over their shifts is important so they don’t damage their hearing. For individual gigs, this is not so easy. For big music festivals, you should ensure you have a rotation of staff to cover overtime.