Preventing Noise-Induced Hearing Loss — WHO Safe Listening Guidelines
The WHO safe listening guideline that weighs loudness and time together, rules for earphone use, workplace noise limits and warning signs — with sources.
Published 2026-09-26
Damaged ears are hard to repair
Loud sound damages the hair cells in the cochlea that turn sound into electrical signals. Human hair cells do not grow back once lost, so noise-induced hearing loss is mostly permanent. The WHO warns that more than 1 billion young adults worldwide are at risk of permanent but avoidable hearing loss because of unsafe listening habits.
WHO safe listening: loudness × time
The WHO looks at the average loudness of sound together with how long you listen. The louder the sound, the faster the safe weekly listening time shrinks.
| Average level | Safe listening time per week |
|---|---|
| 80 dB | 40 hours |
| 85 dB | 12 hours 30 minutes |
| 90 dB | 4 hours |
| 95 dB | 1 hour 15 minutes |
| 100 dB | 20 minutes |
The WHO's examples of everyday sounds are normal conversation 60 dB, a doorbell 80 dB, heavy traffic heard inside a car 85 dB, shouting 90 dB, a motorcycle 95 dB and a hair dryer 100 dB.
Rules for using earphones
- Listen at no more than 60% of your device's maximum volume (WHO recommendation).
- If background noise makes you turn it up, cut outside sound with well-fitting ear tips or noise-cancelling earphones.
- When listening for a long time, give your ears regular breaks.
- Turn on your phone's listening-level tracking and limiting features. In their 2019 standard for personal audio devices (H.870), the WHO and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) recommended a 'sound allowance' feature that shows cumulative exposure, automatic volume limiting and parental volume control.
Workplace noise limits
The US National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) sets 85 dBA averaged over 8 hours as its recommended exposure limit and halves the allowed time for every 3 dB increase (4 hours at 88 dBA, 2 hours at 91 dBA). Noisy workplaces call for protection such as earplugs or earmuffs.
If you notice these signs
- Your ears feel blocked or ring after a concert or club (a sign of temporary hearing loss).
- Following speech in noisy places gets harder and harder.
- An audiogram may show a 'noise notch', a dip around 3–6 kHz (often at 4 kHz).
If symptoms last more than a few days, or hearing in one ear drops suddenly, see a doctor right away.
This test and noise
The volume display on this site is digital (dBFS), so the actual dB reaching your ear is unknown. Keep tests short and quiet, and don't use this tool as a listening-level meter.
Sources
- WHO, Deafness and hearing loss: Safe listening — who.int
- WHO, New WHO-ITU standard aims to prevent hearing loss among 1.1 billion young people (2019-02-12) — who.int
- WHO, Deafness and hearing loss fact sheet (2026-03-03) — who.int
- NIOSH, Criteria for a Recommended Standard: Occupational Noise Exposure (1998) — cdc.gov