Ever been to a concert and gone home with your ears ringing?
Or been to see a band and left with hearing so muffled it takes a day or two to clear?

Many of us have. Especially those of us who attended rock jams, live gigs and music festivals. And what about those who live nearby?
These days, events involving high powered amplification have to monitor noise emissions to ensure compliance with licensing conditions.
But nevertheless music events and festivals in particular can still be extremely loud. In fact, there is some evidence to suggest that noise levels at these types of events – with their multiple stages, artists and accompanying entertainment in the form of circus shows, fairground rides and arenas for eating and drinking - can rise to many times the legal limit above which hearing protection in compulsory in industry.

Today promoters, venues and artists need to be aware of their legal responsibilities to a number of different people: to the audience, to their workers, and – as importantly – to neighbours who can suffer from noise nuisance.
Guidelines are supplied by the Environmental Protection Act 1990, the Noise at Work Regulations 2005 and the health and safety executives guide to health, safety and welfare at pop concerts. And licences are not granted unless organisers have shown a duty of care and considered options such as various stage orientations and different arena sound system configurations and designs.

So it should come as no surprise that acoustic barriers and fencing are becoming increasingly important elements in event planning and management. These work to reduce the noise pollution coming from a music festival, but they can also be used inside the event compound to control the spread of noise in different areas, minimising the number of people attending the show who are exposed to unnecessary noise all the time.

It pays to plan the best ways to protect people from the outset. After all, failure to comply with the law in respect of noise levels can result in fines, and, in extreme cases, claims for massive damages for personal injury and closure of venues.
Just last year, German concert promoter, Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur, was ordered to pay 4,000 Euros to a woman who claimed her hearing was damaged at a Bon Jovi concert, back in 2000. Read more here And burly-rock band Bertie Page Clinic had their show at Edinburgh Fringe Festival shut down this year for being too loud. Read more here
Music events are not the only ones who risk this type of action either. In July a brand new San Francisco roller coaster Gold Striker had to be temporarily shut down when screams exceeded permissible noise limits and upset neighbours and local businesses in the vicinity. Article here

The amusement park was only re-opened after the introduction of an acoustic barrier which formed a tunnel round the scariest part of the ride. While events, amusements, theme parks and music festivals are designed to entertain, it is also true that noise can annoy.
The key is to balance safety against enjoyment to make sure that the needs and safety of everyone are being considered.
To find out more about our barriers and their uses, click here: