Officials of the Department of Labour are planning to call into bars and nightclubs for “informal chats” with workers about noise-induced hearing loss as part of a campaign.

“Our message to bars and nightclubs is pretty simple - drop the volume” says Maarten Quirooy, the departments group manager of workplace services.

The Health and Safety in Employment Act sets maximum levels of noise.

A spokesperson told The Thymes, that the department would work with clubs and bars that exceed the accepted level of workplace noise, but those resisting reductions in volume would face prosecution (guilty owners face a maximum fine of $25,000). The Accident Compensation Corporation says, the cost of noise-induced hearing loss is more than $40 million a year.