The Victoria Line: Tinnitus and You.
Its 2023. You need to get around. You find yourself in London, UK. You are lucky enough to find before you an offering of underground worm-holes that take you from place to place with unbelievable convenience. As of this writing, there are 11 lines to choose from on Londons Underground network. Coming from Toronto, Ontario; this is quite the treat indeed.
There is one of them that has become a keystone of mine. A location that will be burned into my memory for my entire life. Seven Sisters Station, and the slithering Victoria line connected to it. It is my artery into the London. Just as Line 1 in Toronto was my wife and I’s lifeboat into the heart of the city; so too is the underground rocket-ship that is the Victoria Line.
Something happens as you descend the often rain soaked stairs down into Seven Sisters Station from the street. As you transition below ground level, you enter into an agreement with the overlords that provide this convenient form of travel. The agreement removes any liability upon themselves for any hazard you may encounter. This is a fair deal. One such hazard (as you will immediately find on the platform going southbound) is the air quality. Breathe in and you will find yourself inhaling….smoke? No matter. Its temporary. A tubular train car comes careening into the platform as the LED panel flashes warnings to stand back. It comes to a halt. The doors swing open with a characteristic swoosh. Very sci-fi. Upon entering the train car (especially in the summer months) the second hazard greets you like a thick membrane as you pass through the doors. The Heat.
Long day of stressful work in the core? Worry not. Enter into a free sauna that is 134 meters long. You could very well eat the air inside of this train as a meal. Pull some travel cutlery from your pocket, take out the fork and knife, and pull a slice of a serving from thin air. But this is not necessarily a hazard in and of itself. Lest you find yourself ill-prepared, without hydration or layers to shed off.
The hazard that prompted this article is one I am quite familiar with: The Noise. In hindsight, I was pretty lucky to have parents that encouraged me into working as soon as I could. I remember interviewing for the Tim Hortons at Taunton and Thicknson in Whitby, Ontario when I was 14 years old. I got the job. I started behind the counter, in the back kitchen, prepping baked goods to go into the ovens, and taking peoples orders when things got busy on storefront. This was the beginning of my work life; the noise hazards at Tim Hortons were present, but easily manageable and infrequent. My next job was awarded to me at the fresh age of 16. Line cook at Sports Gardens Cafe. My god, I could fill and entire novel with the stories from this place, and one day I plan to.
Working in a kitchen at this age was like receiving a crash course in the real world. To make matters even more fun, I worked here with both my brothers at the same time, along with our closest friends. We felt on top of the world. We felt like we ran the joint. The largest noise hazard here was the music that we would blare on max volume at all hours; especially loud during a dinner or lunch rush. But, the wild ride had to come to an end, as we all started going off to University.
Attending mechanical engineering at Waterloo afforded me the opportunity to get thrown right into the job market via the co-op program. My first position had found me working up in Naughton, Ontario, machining and welding parts for mining robots that were being sent out across the world. This is where the noise hazard really showed itself. Grinding equipment, machines running constantly, and people competing to yell overtop of each other and these other noises.
The later co-op positions had similar noise levels, and when my 5 years at UWaterloo were all said and done (along with a few NASCAR races), I had pretty rough Tinnitus. I still do. I need to sleep with a fan or some other loud white noise adjacent sound just to pass out. I do wish I had been more careful with my hearing throughout my work experience so far, but what’s done is done. All I can hope for now is to keep a keen eye on any further noise exposure. Which is what brings us to The Victoria Line:
People; this thing is loud. Like, machine shop loud.
Surely this is on other peoples radar. I’ve clocked it at over 100dB in certain sections of the track. Mainly between Finsbury Park and Seven Sisters, where the stretches between stations get longer. This thing can really fly on those longer sections. It feels as if you are launching through an abandoned coal mine run. It really is a blast. BUT, I do think if you are commuting on this train for over an hour a day, you are over your noise exposure limits. Let's say you spend 1 hour (30 mins each way) on the Victoria line, with an average exposure of 95db, that’s over the NIOSH limit for exposure. If you’re spending longer you just might be doing damage to your hearing. Have a listen for yourself below. Keep in mind my microphone is garbage, just imagine that it’s much louder. So, with all this rambling, I just want to suggest hearing protection on The Underground.
All this aside, I love the Victoria Line. I will find myself upon it over and over again. It is my keystone. My connection to London, and for all its work: I forgive it.