Most of us can’t imagine operating a lawn mower or power tools without hearing protection and yet regularly operate our worship sound reinforcement systems at a comparable decibel level. We all know volume complaints are more prevalent when the musical style is one the complainant doesn’t particularly like. But the reality is that decibel levels are no respecter of persons or styles.
An organ introit, choir and orchestra anthem, rhythm section bridge, or southern gospel quartet all have the same potential to hover around unsafe or even damaging levels with extended exposure. In fact, some studies have even shown that incidents of hearing loss are slightly higher in classical musicians than rock musicians. Even though our volume preferences may be subjective, the potential effects are not.
Worship and Tech leaders often use the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) decibel scale to determine acceptable levels. Although a helpful resource, it is often used reactively rather than proactively. In other words, leaders often use this scale to defend existing levels in response to complaints.
Proactive use of the OSHA scale can instead help a congregation consider not only acceptable levels but also appropriate levels for the culture of their individual congregation. Acceptable levels are objective…Appropriate levels are subjective. Appropriate levels consider the congregation we have been given to lead, not one we wish we had been given to lead.
In most cases it would require only slight adjustments to reduce the risk of hearing damage or loss. Experts have written that based on the length of time of exposure vs. the intensity of exposure, every 3 dB drop reduces the risk by one-half. Even though humans are very good at determining and measuring frequency, they are not very good at determining loudness, or differences in loudness. In the noisy environment of a worship service with numerous instrumentalists and vocalists playing and singing simultaneously, a 3 dB drop of the band or orchestra would be imperceptible to most congregants. Slight adjustments would foster significant progress toward safer worship music levels for longer periods of time.
As leaders, we can rationalize unsafe decibel levels because it feels better, because it fits the genre, or because we prefer it at those levels. And yet, we often vilify those congregants who make those same claims about their preferences. It is really just a matter of our responsibility and accountability as leaders to fulfill our obligation to steward those we have been entrusted to lead. How are we doing?
 Marshall Chasin, Hearing Loss in Musicians: Prevention and Management, (San Diego: Plural Publishing, 2009).