Health and safety in the studio

In this post I will cover some of the problems that can occur/be caused in the studio.

Ears.

These are one of the most important things in the studio. If your ears don’t work then you won’t be able to record/mix a song.To make sure your ears stay as they are and don’t get damaged keep the volume of the monitors at a maximum of 85 decibels as this is where the volume can cause major and permanent damage to your hearing.However, when you are in the live room you may not be able to control the volume of the instrument so as a precaution you could wear ear defenders or earplugs. There are even specially developed earplugs that will reduce the sound evenly while keeping the frequencies of the music so you can still hear what you are playing just at a quieter volume. 

Wires.

This is another important thing to consider in the studio. Wires can cause harm, create mess and cause confusion.If you do not keep your wires tidy and organised it can cause you to lose track of which wire goes to which microphone. This is bad especially for a stereo microphone setup because you need to know which microphone is left and which is right.Leaving wires trailing across the room creates a tripping hazard for anyone trying to cross the room. To remedy this you can get cable covers that will keep all of the wires in a small rubber tube and will lessen the tripping hazard.So remember to keep your cables tidy, safe and traceable to the microphone.Messy wires or ‘wire spaghetti’ can also create an electrical hazard. It is best to make sure that all wires are firmly plugged in and that all of the cables do not have patches where the rubber coating has been rubbed away to reveal the copper wire underneath. 

Noise pollution.

This is another key problem. If the studio has not been constructed so that it is thoroughly soundproofed then people outside it will also be affected by the noise. It can cause distraction and annoyance because people don’t want to hear the same song over and over again all day.Make sure that the studio is soundproofed properly before playing in it.

Fire hazards.

These are common when large amounts of electrical equipment and flammable material is present. All electrical devices must be monitored carefully and checked to make sure they do not overheat or overload because of the amount of electrical charge being inputted. To many plugs in one socket adapter can create massive heat and cause a fire. There have been multiple cases of this in the past. The soundproofing material in the studio walls should also be checked to see if they are fire retardant as a precaution.A fire alarm and smoke alarm should be installed in both the live room and control room so that both rooms are alerted to a fire inside or outside of the studio.Fire exercises should also be practiced. Anyone who uses the studio should be briefed on where the nearest fire escape is to the studio and where the fire assembly point is.