In an effort to head off hearing loss – particularly among young people -- New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has launched a quarter-million dollar effort to warn of the dangers of using personal listening devices (PLDs) at high volumes.

Hearing protection programs are designed to reduce the risk of long-term damage from repeated or prolonged exposure to noises. OSHA standards require a hearing protection program when workers are exposed to noise levels above 85 decibels (dB) based on an eight hour time-weight average (TWA).

OSHA has cited COL-Pump Co. Inc., with 10 health and safety violations, including two willful, for failing to monitor workers’ exposure to noise hazards above 85 decibels at the Columbiana foundry in Columbiana, Ohio, a city of about 6,300 residents. Proposed fines total $56,880, according to the Norwalk Reflector.

Nightclub employees could be exposed to dangerously high noise levels, putting them at greater risk for hearing loss, according to a new study. The study also found that many nightclub managers in Ireland are unaware of noise regulations and do not attempt to protect the health and safety of their employees with hearing tests and noise-awareness training.

The nightclub scene thrives on people looking for a place to blow off steam and dance till their feet hurt. But all this while, there's something that nobody is thinking of, something that can't go away with an aspirin or a foot massage the next morning - the ringing in the ears, according to a report in the Times of India.

Acoustic consultants concerned about the noise levels in Wimbledon once took a digital sound-level meter to record the volley of shrieks let out by Maria Sharapova in 2007. At 103.7, it was a yell equivalent to an ambulance siren.

Employees of some nightclubs are being exposed to dangerously high noise levels, according to a study published recently in the International Journal of Noise & Health.

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, four million workers go to work each day in damaging noise, leaving employees at high risk for hearing loss or damage.