Hearing at risk

NOW the cruising season is upon us, it is time that CaRT sorts out the problems with generators running late into the night. Most of which under the Health & Safety Executive are illegal, writes Peter Ponting.

The HSE state the following:

Between 7AM and 7PM it's 41dB, between 7PM and 11PM it's 37dB and from 11PM to 7AM it's 31dB

31 Decibel is described as whispering.

80 - 100 db is considered harmful to the hearing after only 10 minutes.

Over the Easter weekend, we moored up opposite a person who persistently ran their generator late into the night. Having borrowed a noise monitor, which measures sound in db. I was surprised to find a reading of 120db, and we were on the other side of the canal.

Hearing at risk

We were on the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal which is 70 feet wide. So having a reading that high, not only put our hearing at risk, but the owners of the generator, and surrounding boaters, must be put at considerable risk.

It is time this problem is addressed.

People who use noisy generators are not only putting themselves at risk of hearing impediments, but also the people near them.