Abstract
Many studies have looked at the sound exposure of symphony orchestra musicians and on their hearing thresholds. There seems to be a consensus that the sound exposure is high and, in most cases, exceed recommended occupational noise limits. On a group level these musicians seem to have better than average hearing, and better than what could be expected based on an assessment according to the standard ISO 1999. However, typical dips in the hearing threshold consistent with a noise-induced damage, have frequently been observed.
Effective measures to reduce the exposure and hence reduce the risk of hearing damage are not readily available, and if the musicians on a group level have better hearing than normal these measures might be unnecessary. This presentation will show how an individually based hearing monitoring system can be used to reduce the risk of being damaged, and that such system can be used to detect the noise sensitive individuals to implement more effective countermeasures.
Effective measures to reduce the exposure and hence reduce the risk of hearing damage are not readily available, and if the musicians on a group level have better hearing than normal these measures might be unnecessary. This presentation will show how an individually based hearing monitoring system can be used to reduce the risk of being damaged, and that such system can be used to detect the noise sensitive individuals to implement more effective countermeasures.