Some people, like me, can only wear headphones or earplugs for a short period of time - like 2 hours - before they develop ear infections. Furthermore, adminis

Some people, like me, can only wear headphones or earplugs for a short period of time - like 2 hours - before they develop ear infections. Furthermore, administrative controls (headphones) for what is actually a safety and health problem (excess noise) are the solution of last resort from a health and safety perspective. A good health and safety person would advise structural mitigation, not forcing everyone to put on personal protective equipment (headphones.) When open plan offices can regularly burst up to 95 dB (yes, I took in a meter and measured the last one I was in) and are often 65 dB when they are "quiet", noise is absolutely a health and safety issue. Constant noise, even if not immediately damaging to hearing, can cause increased stress and other physiological issues.