Do you think your workplace is loud? Perhaps too loud? NIOSH offers these estimates of work-related noises:

  • Loudest tone possible — 194 dB

  • Rocket launch — 180 dB

  • 12-gauge shotgun — 165 dB

  • Jet engine takeoff — 140 dB

  • Ambulance siren — 120 dB

  • Pneumatic percussion drill — 119 dB

  • Hammer drill — 114 dB

  • Chain saw — 110 dB

  • Continuous miner — 108 dB

  • Bulldozer, Spray painter — 105 dB

  • Impact wrench — 103 dB

  • Hand drill — 98 dB

  • Tractor — 96 dB

  • Belt sander — 93 dB

  • Hair dryer / Power lawn motor — 90 dB

  • Ringing telephone — 80 dB

  • Normal conversation — 60 dB

  • Whisper — 30 dB

  • Weakest sound heard by average ear — 0 dB

NIOSH reminds you that noise exposures greater than 85 dB may cause hearing loss.