According to the BBC, the Advertising Standards Authority (or ASA) ruled that the eight advertisements which aired during an episode of Sherlock Holmes were “excessively strident”.
However, it did state that noise complaints have gone down regarding advertisements over the last two years since the rules were tightened.
ITV3 stated that as the series was made in the 1980s it had many silent pauses so the commercial seemed louder. They also stated that the loudness of the advertisements were “appropriate and consistent in the context of the overall loudness of the channel”.
However the ASA upheld the complaint and stated that the loudness of the advertisements were “not well matched to the overall sound levels of the programme.”
Overly loud advertisements have been a consistent source of irritation to viewers over the years and prompted the Broadcast Committee of Advertising practice to publish a new rule on sound levels in 2008 which stated that “advertisements must not be excessively noisy or strident.”
“The maximum subjective loudness of advertisements must be consistent and in line with the maximum loudness of programmes.”
Excessive noise can cause injury to people. The louder the noise and the longer people are exposed to it will increase the chances of them suffering damage to their hearing. Short bursts of sound are less likely to cause such an injury but this does not mean there are not instances of this occurring. One of the more obvious places where you might be exposed to excessive noise on a consistent basis is if you work in an excessively noisy environment. Employers have to comply with regulations to ensure the health and safety of their workers in line with the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005. This might mean reducing their employees’ exposure to the noise through moving them away from that environment or by providing them with safety equipment.
