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Background: The Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) literature shows that noise could represent a risk factor for professional orchestral musicians. The continuative exposition to elevated noise levels and the particular nature of the activity make necessary an “atypical” OH&S approach, which was identified to be necessarily organizational. Materials and Methods: In this study, a parametric-based method for orchestral exposure assessment and management was developed. The goal was to achieve a predictive tool to involve safety in the decision making of concert season program. After setting the parameters, the project’s hypothesis was defined and then validated through a yearly-scale monitoring on an important European symphonic orchestra. Moreover, workers’ exposure was assessed from the parametric study by a wide measurement campaign. Results: A general validation of the method was obtained by the verification of the main parameters’ (repertoire, headcount, and disposition) significant influence on the sound pressure levels produced by the orchestra. Exposure levels comparable to the trends in literature for symphonic orchestras were observed, with criticalities among brass musicians, which was the only group exceeding the upper exposure action values. Conclusion: This research has emphasized that the exposure condition of musicians can be critical and requires the implementation of improvement plans. The study has shown that the predictive analysis can be performed on parameters describing the concert’s emissive characteristics. The future development of research currently under study will focus on the concert’s pieces and the use of parameters as indicators of the exposure context.

Background: The Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) literature shows that noise could represent a risk factor for professional orchestral musicians. The continuative exposition to elevated noise levels and the particular nature of the activity make necessary an "atypical" OH&S approach, which was identified to be necessarily organizational.Materials and Methods: In this study, a parametric-based method for orchestral exposure assessment and management was developed. The goal was to achieve a predictive tool to involve safety in the decision making of concert season program. After setting the parameters, the project's hypothesis was defined and then validated through a yearly-scale monitoring on an important European symphonic orchestra. Moreover, workers' exposure was assessed from the parametric study by a wide measurement campaign.Results: A general validation of the method was obtained by the verification of the main parameters' (repertoire, headcount, and disposition) significant influence on the sound pressure levels produced by the orchestra. Exposure levels comparable to the trends in literature for symphonic orchestras were observed, with criticalities among brass musicians, which was the only group exceeding the upper exposure action values.Conclusion: This research has emphasized that the exposure condition of musicians can be critical and requires the implementation of improvement plans. The study has shown that the predictive analysis can be performed on parameters describing the concert's emissive characteristics. The future development of research currently under study will focus on the concert's pieces and the use of parameters as indicators of the exposure context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In the wine industry, bottling is a phase of the production cycle characterized by high levels of noise, mostly owing to repeated collisions between the bottles. In Italy, the Law Decree 81/2008 defined the requirements for assessing and managing noise risk, identifying a number of procedures to be adopted at different noise levels to limit worker exposure. This study was aimed at evaluating the equivalent and peak noise level inside the bottling plant area of a modern Italian winery. In particular, the influence of the working capacity (number of bottles produced per hour) on noise levels was evaluated. Three test conditions were considered: T1 with a working capacity of 4000 bottles/h; T2 with working capacity of 5000 bottles/h; and T3 with working capacity of 6000 bottles/h. Fifteen measurement points were identified inside the bottling area. The instrument used for the measurements was a precision integrating portable sound level meter, class 1, model HD2110L by Delta OHM, Italy. The results indicated that, as the bottling plant working capacity increased, noise levels increased. The measured sound levels exceeded the limits allowed by the regulations in all of the test conditions. Values exceeding the threshold limit of 80 dB(A) were recorded, increasing to a maximum value of 95 dB(A) in test T3. In this case, the operator working along the bottling line was obliged to wear the appropriate personal protective equipment. Copyright © 2014 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]