Barmen ’deafened’ by hotel bands

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 33189, 31 March 1973, Page 16

Barmen ’deafened’ by hotel bands

The problem of noise from highlyamplified hotel-band music will be raised by the Hotel Workers’ Federation when its award negotiations begin in Wellington next week.

The national union is investigating the problem in 'the North Island, and the ■secretary of the Canterbury '! Hotel Workers’ Union (Mr L. JN. Short) said yesterday that at least one barman had re- ' tired from full-time work in a large Christchurch hotel because of the “continual pounding” of the bands. “If a band gets too loud during the evening, barmen can’t move on to another hotel as the customers can,” he said. “Fighting was a bad enough problem several years ago — and we’re still getting ja bit of that — but now the

barmen are being deafened as well,” he said. It was reported from Rotorua on Thursday that a health inspector had been invited to survey the noise level in the bars of one hotel there. Behind one bar it reached 94 decibels, nowhere I was it lower than 80 deci- | bels. and in front of the band |a reading of 100 decibels ■was taken. According to health regulations, 90 decibels is considered dangerous. "This problem is being taken up on a national basis, jand will be raised with the ■employers at conciliation, but ithere certainly are instances ■locally where the noise is a iproblem,” said Mr Short.