Most veterinary professionals think of hearing loss as someone else’s problem. But if you work in a clinic with barking dogs, dental drills, and cage dryers running simultaneously, your ears are absorbing hazardous noise levels every single shift. In fact, kennel noise can reach up to 125 decibels, well above the safe exposure threshold. This guide covers the seven hidden hearing hazards in veterinary practice and what you can do to protect your team starting today.
Why Is a Veterinary Clinic So Loud?
Veterinary clinics are louder than most people realise. Hard surfaces like concrete floors, stainless steel kennels, and tiled walls reflect and amplify sound rather than absorbing it, turning everyday noise into a compounding hazard. Barking dogs, dental prophylaxis machines, cage dryers, and surgical drills all contribute to an environment that rarely goes quiet. According to the CDC, 22 million workers are exposed to potentially damaging noise each year and veterinary professionals are no exception.
What Does 85 Decibels Actually Mean for Your Ears?
Did you know that 85 decibels is the maximum safe noise level for an average eight-hour workday? That aligns closely with a standard Australian working day. But here’s where it gets concerning: for every 3dB increase above that threshold, your safe exposure time is cut in half. At 88dB, you have four hours of safe exposure. At 91dB, just two. At 94dB, only one hour remains before hearing damage becomes a real risk.
Now consider that kennel noise during peak daytime hours can reach between 100 and 125 decibels, and that figure doesn’t account for additional noise sources like dental drills or cage dryers running at the same time.
7 Hidden Hearing Hazards in Your Veterinary Practice
1. Barking Dogs in Kennels
Kennels are the single loudest environment in any veterinary practice. When multiple dogs vocalise simultaneously in a confined space lined with concrete and steel, sound has nowhere to go but back into the room, and into your ears. Studies have recorded daytime kennel noise regularly exceeding 100dB, with spikes reaching 125dB. That’s louder than a chainsaw. Staff who spend even a portion of their shift in these areas without hearing protection are accumulating damage they may not notice for years.
2. Dental Prophylaxis Machines
Dental prophylaxis machines emit a sustained, high-pitched ultrasonic frequency that is particularly damaging to the inner ear. Unlike the intermittent noise of barking, this sound is constant and close range, placing the veterinarian directly in the line of exposure. Cumulative use over months and years without ear protection significantly increases the risk of noise-induced hearing loss, even if each individual session feels manageable.
3. Cage Dryers
Cage dryers are often left running for extended periods during post-grooming or post-surgical recovery, generating a continuous low-to-mid frequency hum that staff are exposed to throughout their shift. Because the noise level is not immediately alarming, it is frequently overlooked as a hazard.
4. Surgical and Orthopaedic Drills
Orthopaedic and surgical drills produce short, intense bursts of high-decibel noise that can easily exceed safe exposure limits within minutes of use. While the duration of each use may be brief, the sheer intensity means that even a single unprotected procedure can contribute to cumulative hearing damage.
5. Ultrasonic Scalers
Ultrasonic scalers used in veterinary dentistry operate at frequencies that, while partly beyond human hearing, still generate audible noise levels that are hazardous with prolonged exposure. The combination of high frequency and close-proximity use makes this a particularly insidious risk, as the damage often accumulates silently before any symptoms are noticed.
6. Surgical Suite Alarms and Patient Monitors
Anaesthetic monitors, ventilators, and alarm systems in surgical suites contribute a persistent layer of background noise that is easy to dismiss but difficult to escape. In a small, enclosed surgical environment, the combined output of multiple devices can push ambient noise levels well above comfortable or safe thresholds, particularly during complex procedures where multiple alarms may trigger simultaneously.
7. Cumulative Daily Exposure
Perhaps the most underestimated hazard of all is the combined effect of every noise source across a full working day. No single sound event may seem severe enough to warrant concern, but the accumulation of kennels, equipment, alarms, and procedures across an eight-hour shift can push total daily exposure well beyond safe limits.
This is the hidden reality of veterinary hearing health: it’s rarely one loud moment that causes the damage. It’s the relentless sum of all of them.
Livingstone Corded Metal Detectable Earplugs: Built for Clinical Environments
For veterinary practices looking for a reliable, clinically appropriate hearing protection solution, the Livingstone Corded Metal Detectable Earplugs are worth considering. Available in a box of 100 pairs, they are rated Class 5 SLC80 26dB, making them suitable for the most demanding noise environments found in veterinary practice. The blue metal detectable design adds an important safety feature for practices where hygiene and sterility are non-negotiable. Each pair is individually packaged, supporting single-use hygiene protocols and reducing cross-contamination risk.
Browse the full range of veterinary ear plugs at Livingstone to find the right hearing protection solution for your practice, whether you need corded, uncorded, or bulk supply options.
How Can Veterinary Practices Meet Their Duty of Care?
Under Australian Work Health and Safety (WHS) legislation, employers have a duty to identify and minimise workplace hazards, including noise. For veterinary practices, this means conducting regular noise assessments, establishing hearing protection protocols, and ensuring that appropriate PPE is readily available to all staff. Supplying ear plugs in bulk is a practical and cost-effective way to ensure consistent compliance across an entire team, removing the barrier of availability as an excuse for non-use.
Practices should also train staff on the correct fitting and use of earplugs, since an incorrectly fitted earplug offers significantly less protection than its rated specification. Rotating staff out of high-noise areas, creating quiet break zones, and investing in noise-absorbing materials such as acoustic ceiling tiles or rubber floor mats in kennel areas are all complementary strategies that support a comprehensive hearing conservation programme.
Protecting Hearing Is Protecting Your Career
Noise-induced hearing loss is permanent and progressive, but it is almost entirely preventable. For veterinary professionals who dedicate their careers to the wellbeing of animals, protecting their own health is just as important. Implementing consistent hearing protection practices, starting with reliable, clinically appropriate earplugs, is a small investment with lifelong returns. Don’t let the noise of a busy clinic become the reason you can no longer hear clearly in the years ahead.
References
Barnette, C. (2021) ‘Can you hear me now?! Protect your hearing while working as a vet tech’, VetTechPrep Blog, 17 May. Available at: https://blog.vettechprep.com/can-you-hear-me-now-protect-your-hearing-while-working-as-a-vet-tech (Accessed: 29 June 2026).
Certified Safety Training (2023) ‘How to avoid noise hazards at your veterinary practice’, Certified Safety Training Blog, 13 December. Available at: https://certifiedsafetytraining.org/blogs/news/how-to-avoid-noise-hazards-at-your-veterinary-practice (Accessed: 29 June 2026).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2022) ‘A case study to demonstrate noise and ergonomic issues in the workplace’, NIOSH Science Blog, 17 October. Available at:
https://blogs.cdc.gov/niosh-science-blog/2022/10/17/vet_ergo-noise/ (Accessed: 29 June 2026).
Safe Work Australia (2022) Managing noise and preventing hearing loss at work. Available at:
https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au (Accessed: 29 June 2026).
