How Loud Are Fireworks?

Friday Night Fireworks

Yesterday, I was at a Greenville Drive Baseball Game. Every Friday, they have fireworks.

We were about 200 feet away from where the fireworks were going off, and as a safety professional, I was interested to see how loud fireworks are. We were so close that even the workers at the game told us to move back (and we did) because the ashes from the fireworks land where we were standing and can burn people.

Now, I didn’t have a calibrated Sound Level Meter, but I did use my phone’s app called Decibel X. I use this handy app to check my noise exposure at certain events such as concerts, and now, to see what my noise exposure was during the Fireworks.

So what was my noise exposure during the fireworks?

Fireworks Noise Exposure

The maximum noise exposure was 110.2 decibels and during the show, it ranged around 102 - 108 decibels when the fireworks were exploding in the sky. The fireworks show lasted about 4 minutes.

Is 110 Decibels Loud?

OK so 110 dBA… is that actually loud?

YES, it is loud! OSHA says that if you are exposed to noise levels above 85 dBA for an 8-hour time-weighted average, then you must go into a hearing protection program since this level of noise has the potential to cause hearing damage. If noise exposure is greater than 90 dBa, then you are required to wear hearing protection.

Of course, this was a four minute firework show that I only go to a few times a year, but the workers who set off these fireworks every Friday may need some controls to protect themselves, such as wearing ear muffs during the show.

To put the 110 dBa into perspective, a chain saw at 3 feet is 110 dBa, a motorcycle at 25 feet away is around 90 dB, and a normal car driving at 65 mph at 25 feet is 77 dB.

So next time you’re watching fireworks, maybe pop in some ear plugs to prevent any noise exposure!

Hearing Conservation Written Program

Contact Brandy today if you need help with developing an effective hearing conservation written program!

This blog was written by Brandy Zadoorian, CSP, and Triangle Safety Consulting LLC's Owner and Principal Consultant.

She offers audits, expertise, resources, and guidance to help small to medium-sized manufacturing facilities improve their safety program, including compliance with OSHA Requirements.

She is a Certified Safety Professional (CSP) under the Board of Certified Safety Professionals.