How loud is too loud? Decibels and hearing damage explained

The risk of hearing damage starts with long exposure to about 80 dB(A), averaged over an eight-hour working day. That is why an employer must offer hearing protection from that level. The louder the sound, the shorter you can be exposed to it. Every extra 3 dB means a doubling of the sound energy.

But what is a decibel, why does it sometimes say dB(A) and sometimes dB(C), and how loud are everyday sounds? In this article we explain it step by step, with the figures from the Dutch occupational health and safety rules and from RIVM, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment.

If you are often above that 80 dB(A), custom earplugs help. A partner hearing care professional takes impressions of your ears. The ear impressions are included in the price and you pay at the hearing centre.

What is a decibel?

The decibel (dB) is the unit used to express sound level. According to the guideline on occupational hearing loss by the NVAB, the Netherlands Society of Occupational Medicine, it is a logarithmic measure. Human hearing has a range of about 3 to 130 dB, and sound levels around 130 dB are painful. Logarithmic means that the scale does not simply add up. Every 3 dB more stands for a doubling of the sound level. The difference between 85 and 88 dB seems small, but 88 dB contains twice as much sound energy. 10 dB more is even ten times as much energy.

What is the difference between dB, dB(A) and dB(C)?

• dB(A) is a measurement with an A filter. That filter mimics how our hearing perceives sound, because we are less sensitive to very low and very high tones. dB(A) is used for daily noise exposure at work.
• dB(C) is a measurement with a C filter, which filters out far less of the low tones. The Dutch Working Conditions Decree (Arbobesluit) uses C weighting for peak sound pressure, the highest momentary pressure from a bang or a blow. A sound level meter shows this separately as LCpeak or LCpk.
• dB without a letter is the unweighted level. In practice, with hearing protection you mostly see 'dB' as attenuation, for example a filter with an SNR of 20 dB.

How loud are everyday sounds?

In an infographic, RIVM uses the examples below to show the differences between sounds. RIVM adds that the levels are for illustration. A few additional values come from other sources, which are listed with them.

The work instruction of the Netherlands Labour Authority (Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie) gives a handy rule of thumb. If you cannot hold a conversation at a distance of about 1 metre without raising your voice, that is a first sign that the sound level is above 80 dB(A).

Level and time together determine the dose

Whether sound is harmful depends not only on how loud it is, but also on how long you are exposed to it. RIVM stresses that harm is determined by level and duration together. The calculation uses an exchange rate of 3 dB. Because 3 dB more means double the energy, the time for the same dose is halved.

The table below is a worked example based on that 3 dB rule. Each row gives the same sound dose as eight hours at 80 dB(A), the lower exposure action value in the Working Conditions Decree. So it is not a 'safe' limit, but a way to show how quickly the dose builds up.

In its advice on music events, RIVM also writes that it is impossible to recommend maximum sound levels that are absolutely safe for every individual. People differ in sensitivity, and the sound dose from work, hobbies and nights out adds up.

Want to know how long you can be around a certain sound, such as at a festival, with a drill or on a motorbike? Work it out with our loud noise calculator. By default it calculates with 85 dB(A) for eight hours, and with a switch you can make it stricter with 80 dB(A), as in the table above.

What do the Dutch rules say?

For work in the Netherlands, fixed values from the Working Conditions Decree apply (chapter 6, section 3 on noise). There are two kinds of figures, namely the daily exposure in dB(A), averaged over eight hours, and the peak sound pressure in dB(C) for bangs and blows.

Employees who are exposed to more than 80 dB(A) are entitled to an audiometric test. That is a hearing test to check whether the measures work. Employers will find more explanation on Arboportaal, the Dutch government's website on working conditions, and at Audibling Business.

How can you tell that sound is too loud?

Hearing damage from noise often builds up slowly. RIVM counts not only hearing loss as hearing damage, but also tinnitus (ringing in the ears) and hyperacusis, an oversensitivity to normal everyday sounds. These are signs that the sound was too loud.

• You have to raise your voice to understand someone 1 metre away.
• Afterwards you hear a beep or a hiss in your ears.
• Afterwards, sound seems dull or muffled.

If you have symptoms that do not go away, have your hearing checked by your GP (huisarts) or a hearing care professional. More signs, and when to see your GP, are in how to recognise the first signs of hearing damage.

How to protect your hearing

Shorter, quieter and further away. Those are the basic rules. RIVM advises visitors to music events to keep their distance from the sound sources, take breaks and use hearing protection. With hearing protection, you look at the SNR, the average attenuation in dB. A filter with an SNR of 20 dB roughly brings an environment of 100 dB(A) back to around 80 dB(A) in your ear, although the exact result depends on the fit and the type of sound. How to read SNR and HML is explained in our article on the SNR value of earplugs.

Do not automatically choose the strongest attenuation. If you reduce too much, you understand colleagues or music less well and you are more likely to take your earplugs out for a moment. With interchangeable filters, you choose exactly the attenuation that fits. Read filters in custom earplugs explained or see the filter page. For music there are earplugs for music, and for noise at work there are, for example, earplugs for construction. What custom earplugs are exactly is explained in what is an otoplastiek? If it is about bangs and shots, read hearing protection against impulse noise.

Frequently asked questions

How many decibels are harmful?

Long exposure from about 80 dB(A) over an eight-hour working day carries a risk of hearing damage. That is why the first exposure action value is set there. For short bangs, a separate peak limit applies, from 135 dB(C).

Is 85 dB harmful?

At 85 dB(A) averaged over a working day, wearing hearing protection at work is mandatory. Under the 3 dB rule, at 85 dB(A) you already reach the same dose as eight hours at 80 dB(A) in about two and a half hours.

What is the difference between dB and dB(A)?

dB(A) is a measurement with an A filter that mimics how our hearing perceives sound. As a result, very low and very high tones count for less. dB(C) is used for peak noise.

How loud can music be at a festival?

In 2018, RIVM advised a maximum of 102 dB(A) on average over 15 minutes for visitors aged 16 and over. Under the 3 dB rule, at that level you reach the dose of eight hours at 80 dB(A) within a few minutes. So hearing protection is not an optional extra.

Sources

• Arboportaal, Wat zegt de wet over lawaai op het werk? (what the law says about noise at work, in Dutch)
• Arbeidsomstandighedenbesluit (Working Conditions Decree), chapter 6, section 3 on noise, via wetten.overheid.nl, in Dutch
• Nederlandse Arbeidsinspectie, Werkinstructie Blootstelling aan geluid (work instruction on noise exposure, 2025, PDF in Dutch)
• RIVM, Vergelijking geluidsniveau verschillende geluiden (comparison of sound levels, infographic, PDF in Dutch)
• RIVM, Advies maximale geluidsniveaus voor muziekactiviteiten (advice on maximum sound levels for music events, report 2017-0159, 2018, in Dutch)
• NVAB, Multidisciplinaire richtlijn Preventie beroepsslechthorendheid (guideline on preventing occupational hearing loss, PDF in Dutch)
• De Jager (Koninklijke Nederlandse Jagersvereniging), Gehoorbescherming voor jagers (hearing protection for hunters, 2020, PDF in Dutch)