“Can cabin noise cause a permanent loss of hearing?” – News from America is that a Democrat is calling for studies into the causal link between cabin noise and permanent hearing loss.

The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee in America is calling for a study into the effects of airplane cabin noise on flight crews.

Recently, Peter DeFazio, a top Democrat, raised the issue that the cabin noise may cause irreversible hearing loss. This is a huge concern for flight attendants on long haul flights, who will be exposed to the noise pollution for a long time, and this of course extends beyond the U.S. and affects our country too.

Demand and importance of the study

For a long time, Mr DeFazio has advocated for change in the U.S. as it is has been a long-standing issue. His concern details that flight attendants may be affected by strong gales of wind, and the exposure of engine and other equipment generated noises. For some flight attendants, who work up to 14 hours a day, the consequences of the exposure can be allegedly disastrous.

A call for a study into the causal effects on cabin noise may be supported by the fact that flight attendants must be 100 per cent alert to guarantee the safety of passengers. If the cabin noise has affected their hearing then this could decrease their efficiency in an emergency situation. I say this because it’s crucial for flight attendants to have “sensory faculties necessary to spring into action”. The sense of hearing is one of the most important sensory functions for flight attendants as it will allow them to respond effectively to a crisis.

Potential knock-on effects

This may be somewhere very far down the line, but if flights attendants are not alert enough to respond efficiently to an emergency situation, that could put the safety of the passengers at risk; opening the gates to potential negligence claims.

Federal regulators

Federal regulators must look into the matter with urgency as it is necessary that airlines provide their employees a safe working environment. Mr DeFazio has raised his concern by writing a letter to the Government Accountability Office. There is support from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) that noise limits from the cabin environment may be excessive enough to cause damage. I’m surprised to see why there has not been any proper protections put in place so far. If regulators were concerned about the wellbeing of employees in the industry, they should act fast, and other nations should investigate this issue as well.

Federal Aviation Administration

As an organisation with national authority to regulate civil aviation, the Federal Aviation Administration should be investigating and looking into how cabin noise can affect the health and safety of the cabin crew. If there are negative effects and huge impacts on flight attendants, protective equipment and a redesign of the aircraft may be options for mitigating the effects.

These sound very costly though…

U.K. interest

You’re probably wondering why – as U.K. lawyers – we’re interested parties. As our team is built up of members of the American Association of Justice, we regularly deal with U.S. lawyers in global actions. As such, we’re no strangers to cross-border cases. It’s important for us for a second reason as well, in that this study will highlight any problems to do with cabin noise anywhere, and may give rise to potential claims in the U.K. It’s not like there is a shortage of airplanes this side of the Atlantic… So, let the studies begin!