How Do I Know if It’s Too Loud?

I often get asked, “How do I know when something is too loud?”. The simple answer; if you are 3 feet apart from someone and have to yell, it’s TOO LOUD. For those of you who prefer to carry a phone rather than a ruler, there is a solution. That’s right, there is an app for that! When I teach CAOHC Courses, I often refer students to the Decibel X app. The app is free, simple to use, and pretty accurate.

Once you download the app, you first will want to verify your settings before you get started. The Decibel X app has multiple weighting scales, such as the A, B, C, and Z scales. It measures sounds from 30 dBA-130 dBA and offers a real-time scale level chart.

After you verify your settings, you are ready to start measuring sound. Remember anything at or above 85dBA could be hazardous to your hearing health. I recommend using this app to help educate employees about non-occupational noise. This will help them in understanding what is considered too loud. In addition, have a little fun with it yourself!

Shout out to the SkyPaw Team for giving me permission to reference your app in my blog. Check out their webpage for information on how to download this app at https://skypaw.com/decibel10.html

*Please note, this app is not to be used for OSHA sound surveys. If you need an initial or updated sound and/or dosimetry study, contact us!