The National Occupational Safety and Health Board has raised concerns over the level of noise and hearing protection at stadiums ahead of next year's FIFA World Cup and says it will approach the government and the Organising Committee on the issue.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act stipulates that employees, and other people, affected by noise in a company can be exposed to 85 decibels (dB) for eight hours before they must be given hearing protection or steps taken to reduce noise levels, chairperson Ray Strydom says.

To fall under the auspices of the Act a stadium needs to be designated as a place of work. Personal safety equipment manufacturer Uvex MD Darryl Jacobs says a stadium could constitute a place of work for soccer players, coaches, referees and general stadium workers such as ticket sellers and food vendors, among others. Hence, the noise in a stadium should be governed by the act and the safety of all people affected by the noise must be ensured.

Uvex hearing protection specialist Nimrod Donga says that an increase of 3 dB doubles the intensity of a noise. If a person were exposed to an average of 85 dB for eight hours a day, the same person would legally be allowed to be exposed to 88 dB for only four hours a day. The same person would only be able to be exposed to 94 dB of noise for one hour a day before temporary deafness occurs. If a person is exposed to longer periods of noise then hearing damage could occur. He added that speaking is, on average, around 65 decibels.

"If a person attends matches every day then there is the possibility of a permanent threshold shift [hearing damage]," says Donga.

Strydom says he will ask an approved inspection authority to do an official noise measurement in a stadium during a match to determine the level of noise.

Strydom and Jacobs will also approach the Department of Labour to query the government's stance on the issue and will then approach the Organising Committee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup based on the department's response.

Noisemakers in stadiums, such as vuvuzelas, thundersticks and soccerhorns, are popular with soccer fans. However, the Japanese soccer team complained about the level of noise in the stadium following a draw against Bafana Bafana in November. This necessitates debate on measures to either control the noisemakers in stadiums or to protect the hearing of fans, players and workers.

Uvex says that the retail price for hearing protecting earplugs ranges from R2, for disposable plugs, to R20, for reusable plugs. Disposable earplugs, by law, are handed out in nightclubs in England where patrons can decide for themselves whether they want to use the plugs. Hearing protection earplugs cut out damaging frequencies of sound while allowing the person wearing the plugs to hear and have a conversation.

The price of earplugs is small when compared to the price of a match ticket, Strydom says. Thus, the cost of the earplugs could possibly be included in the price of a ticket or the organisers could hand the plugs out free of charge at the gates, he adds.