Childcare services: beware of noise!

August 10, 2006 – A study carried out in 20 early childhood centers (CPEs) in the Montreal region reveals that if the noise level usually meets the standards in force, the situation could still be improved.

Less attentive
“A young child exposed to noise for long periods of time can have communication problems. His listening skills are reduced, which can lead to delayed language development, attention and behavioral disturbances, and even hyperactivity. “¹

Experts found an average noise level of 74 decibels (dBA), well below the exposure limit of 90 dBA for eight hours a day. They stress, however, that “the risks of hearing damage are more and more predictable beyond 75 dBA”.

To reduce the ambient noise level, about half of the childcare centers visited agreed to implement the proposed recommendations, such as the installation of acoustic tiles over the entire surface of the ceiling and the installation of absorbent panels on 20% of the surface of the ceiling. walls.

The results are impressive: sound levels were reduced by 7.5 dBA during strenuous activities. Also, the reverberation time has been reduced from 0.7 seconds to 0.35 seconds: it is desirable that it be below 0.6 seconds for adequate speech understanding.

And more aggressive?
“The harmful effects of noise on interpersonal relationships are regularly mentioned: increased aggressiveness, increased number of conflicts, less attention to what surrounds us, negative impact on mood. “¹

The impact of such changes cannot be underestimated. “Constant exposure to high noise levels can cause stress for both workers and children. Noise can also cause communication, sleep, health and behavior problems, ”recalls the Joint Association for Occupational Health and Safety in the Social Affairs Sector (ASSTSAS).

The employees of childcare centers who have taken anti-noise measures have also been numerous to stress the positive impact that this has had on their work environment and their health. “I do not understand how we were able to tolerate that during all these years,” said one of them, quoted in the study by ASSTSAS and the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST ).

The results of this study are published in the June 2006 issue of the journal Seedless of ASSTSAS.

To learn more about ambient noise, consult our sound level scale.

Jean-Benoit Legault and Johanne Lauzon – PasseportSanté.net
version revised 22 August 2006

1. Joint association for occupational health and safety in the social affairs sector and Commission for occupational health and safety, Reducing noise in daycare services – Acoustic solutions, Seedless, flight. 8, no 2, June 2006. The document can be downloaded at this address: www.irsst.qc.ca. [Consulté le 10 août 2006]