Noise too loud at swim, spin and gym?

 I had to walk out of a swim (aqua aerobics) class because the music was too loud. The instructor was shouting but could still not be heard over it. She obligingly agreed to turn it down.  She fiddled with the control.

I walked back to the edge of the pool. Still too loud for me. I wasn't enjoying it. I walked out.

Giving Feedback
I went to the front desk and asked for a form to complain about the noise level. The spinning class noise is so loud that I cannot use the adjoining gym instead nor sit in the lobby waiting for my family not even speak comfortably to the people on the desk.

Noise Meter Maximum and Minimum
The man on the desk says the level is set  to a certain level in the gym and cannot be changed. I ask what is the maximum decibel level. It appears that the noise level indicator is not intended to show the instructor the maximum sound, but the minimum! 

Pub Noise Meter
I saw this when Harrovian speakers met in a pub. The toastmaster of the evening did not seem to realise that the machine showed the maximum sound. The swinging lever like a metronome on red showed over the sound limit. Health and safety to protect the hearing of workers at the pub, rather than disco operators or performers then I imagine.

Instead  the audience was encouraged to clap louder and louder - until they exceeded red. No, no no!

For audience protection there should have been a warning about excessive noise and the purpose and use of the noise level. (Because of the meter, you would have evidence on any video!)

Protecting Yourself

What can be done? Do you find noise levels too high in discos or cinemas or swim and acqua classes or spin and gym?

One solution is to wear ear plugs. You need to remove them afterwards for comfort and safety.

Changing Gyms?

Any point changing gyms? The gym manager told me other gyms have louder levels!

Over-sensitive Customers
Is it just me? If I am short of sleep I am more sensitive to noise? 

Another member of my family wears ear plugs in the gym next to the spinning class. Time to take action.

Meter Cost
I looked at the cost of a sound meter. It was under £100 but still seemed too expensive. However, if you are a business I presume you would offset the cost against tax. I shall look at the cost and report.

Feedback to Manager or Owner
On a later comment to another person at the gym she had a very soothing personality and said she would pass my note to the gym owner. I then realised I had spoken to a manager. Now my observations were being passed up the chain of command to the owner.

Record of Feedback - Mentioning Staff
I did not photograph what I wrote on the feedback form. I have since written this blog post which is much lengthier. I wish I could be sure I had mentioned in my feedback that excessive noise not only upsets or damages the hearing of gym members but is likely to have even greater effect on the trainers - and the gym staff!

Proof of Deafness or Hearing Damage

It would be hard to prove your hearing was damaged by a place you visited briefly, unless there was a loud noise like an explosion and you could show that you had normal hearing before but lost your hearing afterwards.

However, if you are running a business where people work all day nearly every day you have a responsibility to yourself if you work there and for your staff. You need to protect your business from any claim that your staff suffer loss of work.

My Solution - Ear Plugs
I previously tried ear plugs when swimming and rejected them. They were uncomfortable, a nuisance. If you swam with your ears under water when doing the crawl your ear plugs got wet.

Time to try them again. I have now found a set of ear plugs from an airline to put in my gym bag.

A friend told me that to keep them in you have to lick the ends and coat them in saliva. (Yuk. How is that hygienic!) Luckily, as their primary use is for aqua classes, I can use my swimming cap to hold my ear plugs in place.

Noise Register
My family also has a noise register device which we bought years ago. I never knew. That saves a lot of money.

Legal Regulations
Somebody said that a private club is not bound by the same rules as a public place. I would expect that any employer has to protect their staff. You might want to check the latest regulations whether ever you are living and working.

Society for Protection of the Deaf?
I think I phoned a society connected with the deaf, years ago. about legislation. They were not running any campaign for legislation agains sound.

Their suggestions were that I join their organisation as a member for a fee. Or buy a device from them - by looking in their catalogue.

I don't yet have need of them. How likely is it that I will go deaf?

A friend claims that musicians such as guitarist in rock bands go deaf as young as 30 years old from incessant loud music from nearby amplifiers.

My uncle went deaf from working lifelong in an orchestra. I just realised that musicians wear long hair to hide hearing aids.

The moral is: save your ear plugs from your long haul flights to wear in the gym.

I found a noise meter at £8.48 on eBay from Spiratronics.
Digital Sound Level Meter 31.5Hz - 8kHz SL-100 Voltcraft db Meter Detector Noise

Angela Lansbury, travel writer.