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Fitness Assessment and Prevention [back to the Category]
Dancing and Environmental Disadvantages [read the french version]
Kaarina Kuisma
DANCING AND ENVIRONMENTAL DISADVANTAGES
Kaarina Kuisma
Finnish National Opera
Health and safety officer
INTRODUCTION:
The goal of occupational safety and health is to safeguard a healthy and safe working environment and to help keep employees healthy at work. The working environment of dancers includes hazardous elements such as noise and rosin. Both have effects that are not immediately apparent, and they may cause irreversible damage that has an adverse effect on the employee’s work contribution.
Sound level control and minimizing the use of rosin are important for promoting occupational safety and health for dancers.
DANCERS’ EXPOSURE TO NOISE
The Finnish National Opera carried out an extensive study of music noise levels in 1998 – 2000. The measurements were carried out by the physics department of the Institute of Occupational Health and the safety officers of the Finnish National Opera.
Noise refers to sound that is distracting or harmful. Music qualifies as noise because it can cause hearing loss. According to the noise directive (VNP 1404/1993), the maximum safe periods of exposure to noise on a daily basis are as follows:
Noise level Time
85 dB 8 h
88 dB 4 h
91 dB 2 h
94 dB 1 h
97 dB 30 min
100 dB 15 min
103 dB 8 min
106 dB 4 min
109 dB 2 min.
In addition to the effects on hearing noise has other direct and indirect effects. Noise makes it difficult to understand speech or to hear warning sounds. Noise causes a variety of physiological reactions: it increases blood pressure, affects the heart and the circulatory system, boosts hormone production and affects the alimentary system. Jobs requiring alertness become more difficult when subjected to noise. From a dancer’s point of view, it would be interesting to know how loud noise affects the sense of balance.
Measurements show that dancers are in no particular danger from noise in their work. The average noise level on stage in the ballet Swan Lake (with an orchestra playing) was 75 dB. In the contemporary dance work UR ( taped music), the average noise level varied from 80 to 83 dB. The average noise level for a variety of dance works at the side of the stage was 73 (+2) dB.
Certain works with taped music exhibit high noise levels on stage in the front of the speakers. These levels can exceed 100 dB, as in the production of Verienkeli (Blood angel) in Alminsali (102 to 105 dB).
In addition to exposure at work, employees are also exposed to noise in their leisure time, adding to their total exposure. Environmental noise has increased: traffic, films, discos, rock concerts, Walkmen, etc. This should be borne in mind when considering personal hearing protection.
The employer is responsible for ensuring safe noise levels in the productions being performed. Careful sound planning can enable even very loud sounds to be used without endangering the performers, as for example in the rock ballet Evankeliumi (Evangelium).
The employer’s hearing protection function should provide hearing examinations as needed and hearing protection gear for use at work. Also, employees must be made aware of noise risk involved in their jobs.
Further information:
Esko Toppila, Heli Laitinen: Suomen Kansallisoopperan meluntorjuntaohjelma ( Finnish National Opera noise prevention programme), 2000.
THE USE OF ROSIN IS RISKY TO HEALTH
Rosin, or colophony, or pine tree resin, is a sensitizing agent that may cause irritation in the eyes and respiratory passages. Repeated or long-term exposure can cause asthma or skin sensitization.
Rosin is used for instance by string players on their bows and by dancers to help pointe shoes stay on their feet. When using rosin, protective gloves, masks and glasses should be worn. Those who have developed an allergy to rosin can no longer use it in their work.
Some dancers come to rely on rosin to increase grip and thus keep their dancing slippers on their feet. They have constant skin contact with rosin. Rosin also releases dust into the air, causing a respiratory risk. On modern specially designed dance floorings, rosin forms sticky spots that are an accident risk. For this reason, the use of rosin is prohibited on dance floorings.
The use of rosin should be minimized. Rosin should be kept in a closed container as far as possible, taking care not to release it into the environment.
More information:
Kaarina Kuisma
Health and safety officer
Finnish National Opera
E-mail: kaarina.kuisma@operafin .fi
This is an abstract from the Helsinki Dance Medicine Symposium (June3-4 2001). All rights reserved to the author.
Kaarina Kuisma
Finnish National Opera
Health and safety officer
INTRODUCTION:
The goal of occupational safety and health is to safeguard a healthy and safe working environment and to help keep employees healthy at work. The working environment of dancers includes hazardous elements such as noise and rosin. Both have effects that are not immediately apparent, and they may cause irreversible damage that has an adverse effect on the employee’s work contribution.
Sound level control and minimizing the use of rosin are important for promoting occupational safety and health for dancers.
DANCERS’ EXPOSURE TO NOISE
The Finnish National Opera carried out an extensive study of music noise levels in 1998 – 2000. The measurements were carried out by the physics department of the Institute of Occupational Health and the safety officers of the Finnish National Opera.
Noise refers to sound that is distracting or harmful. Music qualifies as noise because it can cause hearing loss. According to the noise directive (VNP 1404/1993), the maximum safe periods of exposure to noise on a daily basis are as follows:
Noise level Time
85 dB 8 h
88 dB 4 h
91 dB 2 h
94 dB 1 h
97 dB 30 min
100 dB 15 min
103 dB 8 min
106 dB 4 min
109 dB 2 min.
In addition to the effects on hearing noise has other direct and indirect effects. Noise makes it difficult to understand speech or to hear warning sounds. Noise causes a variety of physiological reactions: it increases blood pressure, affects the heart and the circulatory system, boosts hormone production and affects the alimentary system. Jobs requiring alertness become more difficult when subjected to noise. From a dancer’s point of view, it would be interesting to know how loud noise affects the sense of balance.
Measurements show that dancers are in no particular danger from noise in their work. The average noise level on stage in the ballet Swan Lake (with an orchestra playing) was 75 dB. In the contemporary dance work UR ( taped music), the average noise level varied from 80 to 83 dB. The average noise level for a variety of dance works at the side of the stage was 73 (+2) dB.
Certain works with taped music exhibit high noise levels on stage in the front of the speakers. These levels can exceed 100 dB, as in the production of Verienkeli (Blood angel) in Alminsali (102 to 105 dB).
In addition to exposure at work, employees are also exposed to noise in their leisure time, adding to their total exposure. Environmental noise has increased: traffic, films, discos, rock concerts, Walkmen, etc. This should be borne in mind when considering personal hearing protection.
The employer is responsible for ensuring safe noise levels in the productions being performed. Careful sound planning can enable even very loud sounds to be used without endangering the performers, as for example in the rock ballet Evankeliumi (Evangelium).
The employer’s hearing protection function should provide hearing examinations as needed and hearing protection gear for use at work. Also, employees must be made aware of noise risk involved in their jobs.
Further information:
Esko Toppila, Heli Laitinen: Suomen Kansallisoopperan meluntorjuntaohjelma ( Finnish National Opera noise prevention programme), 2000.
THE USE OF ROSIN IS RISKY TO HEALTH
Rosin, or colophony, or pine tree resin, is a sensitizing agent that may cause irritation in the eyes and respiratory passages. Repeated or long-term exposure can cause asthma or skin sensitization.
Rosin is used for instance by string players on their bows and by dancers to help pointe shoes stay on their feet. When using rosin, protective gloves, masks and glasses should be worn. Those who have developed an allergy to rosin can no longer use it in their work.
Some dancers come to rely on rosin to increase grip and thus keep their dancing slippers on their feet. They have constant skin contact with rosin. Rosin also releases dust into the air, causing a respiratory risk. On modern specially designed dance floorings, rosin forms sticky spots that are an accident risk. For this reason, the use of rosin is prohibited on dance floorings.
The use of rosin should be minimized. Rosin should be kept in a closed container as far as possible, taking care not to release it into the environment.
More information:
Kaarina Kuisma
Health and safety officer
Finnish National Opera
E-mail: kaarina.kuisma@operafin .fi
This is an abstract from the Helsinki Dance Medicine Symposium (June3-4 2001). All rights reserved to the author.
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