Now listen to this. And if the ringing in your ears makes it hard to hear - then listen extra carefully.
A new report by the Trade Unions Congress and Royal National Institute for the Deaf reckons that 100,000s of employees working in British bars, pubs and clubs are facing permanent hearing loss because they are constantly surrounded by loud music, sometimes as loud as "an aeroplane taking off".
The TUC is calling on employers to introduce measures to protect their employees' hearing, and on local authorities to ensure club and pub owners do act responsibly in this area. The organisation's Deputy General Secretary Frances O'Grady told reporters yesterday: "Employers can take simple steps to reduce the damage being done to staff without turning clubs into libraries. But it is up to local authorities to monitor and enforce the rules put in place to protect employees from noise overload."
Among the simple measures proposed by the report are the supply of ear plugs to staff members and the provision of regular breaks in noise-free areas. Experts also recommend clubs regularly review the layout of their venues to see if they can reduce volume around those areas where employees spend the majority of their time, such as a bar area.
New European legislation due to arrive in 2008 will force employers to take more action to protect their employees hearing, but with an estimated 170,000 people in the UK already suffering from deafness or other ear conditions as a result of exposure to excessive noise at work, the report's authors want action sooner.
Mark Hoda of the RNID commented: "Because noise damage is cumulative and the effects not immediate, employers often fail to enforce hearing protection for their staff."