As loud as a lawnmower The noise level in the National Council chamber is this high
Between 63 and 69 decibels: a noise measurement shows how loud it really is in the National Council chamber. Nevertheless, the parliamentary services do not see any need for action.
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- National Council President Maja Riniker had the volume in the National Council chamber measured because she felt it was too loud.
- The measured values were mostly between 63 and 69 decibels.
- A peak value of 81 decibels was recorded during the debate on the halving initiative.
Because National Council President Maja Riniker (FDP/AG) had the impression that it was always quite loud in the National Council chamber, she had the volume measured without further ado. During the summer session, there was a measuring device next to her lectern at the front of the chamber.
During the summer session, the volume in the Grand Chamber was usually between 63 and 69 decibels. This was revealed by an analysis by the Parliamentary Services, which was also made available to the Keystone-SDA news agency on Wednesday. The CH Media newspapers first reported on this. The noise level is thus comparable to a running television or a normal to running conversation.
81 decibels on the first day of the session
On the first day of the session, June 2, 81 decibels were measured for around one minute - the same as on two other days in the same month. This is comparable to loud road traffic, a lawnmower or a running vacuum cleaner. However, the parliamentary services told CH Media that the limit values were never exceeded.
The evaluation clearly showed that noise levels between 63 and 69 decibels are the norm: on June 2, for example, a level of 63 decibels was exceeded for 274 minutes and a level of 66 decibels for 145 minutes. Above 69 decibels it was loud for 36 minutes, above 72 decibels for only four minutes.
According to the Swiss Accident Insurance Fund (Suva), noise below 85 decibels is "largely harmless as long as the exposure is not excessive", as stated on their website. From a noise level of 85 decibels over 8 hours at the workplace, hearing protection is mandatory, as this is classified as harmful.
