Music teachers told to wear earmuffs
School music teachers are being warned to wear earmuffs or stand behind noise screens.
This is because beginners tend to blast away much louder than professionals, reports the Daily Mail.
The most potentially deafening instrument is the cornet, with just one honk being enough to cause permanent ear damage.
And standing in the direct fire of instruments such as the flute, oboe and saxophone can become risky after just 15 minutes, the Health and Safety Executive warns.
"Sound levels produced by groups of student instrumentalists are likely to be higher than those produced by a professional group of players because of less-developed technical abilities and natural exuberance," the HSE said.
The warning has been posted on the HSE website. It sets the lower safe daily limit for exposure to a prolonged noise at 80 decibels.
When officials visited a school, they found that noise in a cornet lesson hit 140 decibels. In comparison, a pneumatic drill makes a 100-decibel sound and 140 decibels equates to a plane taking off.
A school that allows staff to be exposed to the cornet without protection would likely be in breach of noise regulations, the HSE warns.
"It is therefore crucial that a thorough noise control strategy is in place before any exposure to loud noise might occur," it said.
-Nova
