Pubs escape EU noise ruling

New EU rules on noise due to come in next February are unlikely to hit pubs hosting live music.

Government ministers are set to approve new regulations which will see a lowering of the decibel exposure limit in workplaces from 85 to 80 decibels.

But despite reports that employers face fines or even prison if their staff are exposed to such levels, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) said it was "highly unlikely" that this scenario would actually occur in practice.

"We don't want to be party-poopers and be seen to be asking people to turn music off," said a spokesman.

"Eighty decibels is the level of a noisy lorry and it's not very often that a noisy bar reaches this level."

The HSE has suggested reducing noise exposure for staff in loud bars and pubs by separating the bar area from the music area, or arranging work patterns or breaks that would reduce staff exposure.

The HSE claims the proposed regulations will bring benefits to one million extra workers, in addition to the one million currently protected under the existing regulations.

Tony Payne, chief executive of the Federation of Licensed Victuallers' Associations, is calling for a full consultation before the new regulations come into effect.

"I agree there should be a limit to ensure employers are within it, but I don't think licensees should be worried at this stage," he said.

Greg Kerr, licensee at the Bedford, in Balham, South London, did not anticipate any problems. "We've never had anyone complain and we do put on a lot of live music," he said.

But Andrew Pett, licensee at Riff's Bar in Swindon, said: "At the moment we have no issues, but if these new regulations are enforced then it could cause us a lot of problems."