OSHA, Safety and event volumes

[Danny McC]

The music in Philly was rather loud today. It is pretty bad for the older people who come to support teams, I know that my grandmother has sensitive ears and she was there almost all day and I was very concerned. The music would be loud enough even if they turned it down a little. With how small the comepetition is for the arena in Philly it is a little to loud. And I did see a parent/mentor/advisor from 1511 covering their ears today and thats when I realized that the music was excessively loud.

[OScubed]

Originally Posted by Danny McC

The music in Philly was rather loud today. It is pretty bad for the older people who come to support teams, I know that my grandmother has sensitive ears and she was there almost all day and I was very concerned.

The problem is that we're doing small amounts of damage - that accumulate over time - to our YOUNGER kids. Because their hearing is so much better to begin with - they don't notice the damage or tinnitus after the event as much as an adult who's already lost some of their hearing might. They don't have to struggle to hear the person next to them because their hearing is great to begin with. The adults who were wearing earplugs or covering their ears in Philly were doing so because they were smart enough to know that they risked permanent damage - the kids aren't always so aware of the dangers - that is the role of the adult mentors and FIRST organizers.

I was especially concerned that after a fairly large contingent of people complained to the event organizers and staff - and the sound crew. We were shrugged off - nothing was done to lower the volume to a less painful level. It's a serious safety issue - and not one limited to Philly. The FRC event in Rochester was also pretty loud.

And it's not necessarily the music - it's just that if the music is playing at volume X you have to have the announcer miked to volume X+10 to hear them. JUST the music (except during certain videos) was loud but not painful. But the combination of music, and a loud, somewhat distorted, announcing voice was painful.