Pilot hearing loss related to noise in the cockpit has been a long debated topic. Occupational health and safety rules cover various hazards in different workplaces, with noise exposure as one of the core areas. In some Regions like Europe, North American and Oceania, there are Regulations stating the maximum noise threshold beyond which mitigating measures are required. Examples include EU Directive 2003/10/EC on noise and OSH Act (1970) in the United States. However, there is currently no international design Standard addressing the level of noise in the cockpit, nor is there any agreed-upon threshold triggering hearing protection requirements.
