Regulations on the prevention of risks related to noise and amplified sounds
published on09.08.17
update17.07.19
National and international bodies (Academy of Medicine, World Health Organization, High Council of Public Health, etc.) have been warning for several years of the increasingly serious and frequent risks of hearing disorders related to exposure to high sound levels and the predominance of exposure to amplified music in the occurrence of acute sound trauma.
Broadcast of music and amplified sounds
Young people are a particularly exposed population. WHO estimates that 1.1 billion adolescents and young adults are at risk of hearing loss from unsafe use of personal audio devices and exposure to harmful sound levels in some recreational settings , such as nightclubs, bars, festivals, etc. Across the European Union, the number of young adults exposed to high noise levels in the context of extra-professional activities has tripled since the 1980s.
The law on the modernization of our health system provides a broader framework for the prevention of noise risks. This is particularly the case of article L.1336-1 of the public health code and its implementing decree no. 2017-1244 of August 7, 2017 relating to the prevention of risks related to noise and amplified soundsco-constructed closely with the ministries responsible for the environment and culture.
With regard to the previous regulations (1998), this decree brings many advances thus allowing:
greater coverage of the places concerned: the requirements concern all places broadcasting amplified sounds: bars, concert halls, nightclubs, open-air festivals, cinemas, etc.
an extension of the scope to open places such as previously unaffected open-air festivals;
better protection of the public’s hearing: lowering of authorized thresholds, reduced values for shows intended mainly for young children, consideration of the impact of low frequencies, information of the public on hearing risks, free provision of individual hearing protection, arrangement of spaces or periods of auditory rest;
better protection of those living near these places with the possibility for the agents in charge of control to make observations by ear for the most obvious disturbances, and equal treatment between those living near and far from the places, whereas up to now, sound emergences were less demanding for distant residents.
For further and taking into account the transitional measures of entry into force provided for by decree no. 2017-1244 of August 7, 2017 relating to the prevention of risks related to noise and amplified sound:
Neighborhood noises
So-called “neighborhood” noises include “behavioural” noises or domestic noises; noise from professional activities or cultural, sporting or leisure activities and noise from building sites. The management of these noises falls under the competence of the mayor.
Transport noise
For more information on transport noise (trains, planes, traffic, etc.): see the file on the website of the Ministry of Ecological and Solidarity Transition “Noise and noise pollution”
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