The deleterious effects of overexposure to noise on the health of workers are very real. During an Ifop survey, 53% of working people said they were “bothered” by noise, which particularly affects regular teleworkers (66%).
- According to a study commissioned by the National Hearing Day association, 53% of working people are bothered by noise at work. Regular teleworkers are much more sensitive to noise than their colleagues.
- The main source of noise pointed out is that coming from outside the premises (38%), followed by that of the equipment used (31%).
- Among people bothered by noise at work: 84% note that it changes their behavior (stress, aggressiveness, lassitude, fatigue), 73% that it lowers the quality of their work (slowness, lack of concentration) and 65% complain even the onset of hearing impairment.
Noise pollution still disturbs a majority of working people in France, recalls the National Day of Hearing Association (JNA). This is the result of its annual survey on hearing health at work, carried out by Ifop on a sample of 1,064 people representative of the French working population according to the quota method. via an online questionnaire between September 11 and 14. Thus, 53% of working people questioned say they are “often” (18%) or from time to time (35%) bothered by noise or noise pollution. A figure slightly down on the two previous surveys in 2019 (59%) and 2018 (59%). “This finding can be partly explained by the Covid-19 health crisis, which may have prompted the French to focus on shorter-term health threats, weakens the association. In addition, the intensity of this decrease is limited insofar as the proportion of respondents who say they are embarrassed ‘often’ is relatively stable compared to 2019 (-1 point), the decrease in embarrassment being driven by people who feel it ‘from time to time’ (-5 points).”
Specific to the year 2020, the irruption of telework in the lives of working people is changing this perception of noise, and not necessarily in a favorable way. Thus, while 53% of regular teleworkers (4 to 5 days a week) complain about noise, at an identical level to the average, less regular teleworkers (2 to 3 days) complain about it at 66%. This perception of hearing discomfort is particularly marked in the industrial sector (67%), commercial (56%) and a little less in administration (52%) or services (49%). This sectorization can certainly explain a gendered differentiation in the perception of noise pollution: men (57%) declare that they suffer from noise more often than women (49%); as well as a categorical differentiation: manual workers (64%) suffer more than the other “working classes” (57%) while the CSP+ (46%) seem to be spared more. Another embarrassing factor seems to be age: sensitivity to noise is more significant among 18-24 year olds (56%) than over 35 year olds (52%). This map of noise suffering in the workplace must be supplemented by urban density since working people in the Paris conurbation complain at 67%, ie much more than working people suffering in rural municipalities (44%).
65% of respondents bothered by noise complain of hearing problems
The source of this discomfort at work? Mainly noise coming from outside the premises (38%), but also equipment used such as printers or blowers (31%), telephone conversations (29%) and conversations between colleagues (27%). Telephone conversations are exacerbated by teleworkers (41% embarrassment for regulars and 38% for irregulars).
The finding is disturbing. Inri reminds that exposure to noise – especially during an 8-hour working day – can divert attention, disrupt verbal communication, can cause hearing fatigue, irreversible deafness, sometimes acoustic shocks (especially among telephone operators) or even increase stress, while long and intense exposure to it can promote the onset of sleep or cardiovascular disorders. According to the study, 84% of embarrassed people (53% of the total) affirm that this influences their behavior (fatigue, nervousness, aggressiveness, lassitude), 73% affirm that it also affects the quality of their work (slowness, difficulty to concentrate, sometimes causes drowsiness or headaches), a proportion which rises to 83% among 18-24 year olds. The appearance of hearing disorders such as buzzing, hypersensitivity to noise or deafness is recorded in 64% of people bothered by noise.
“It is interesting to note that all these negative externalities have increased since 2018, and in particular in the proportion of people answering ‘yes, absolutely’analyzes the JNA. Thus, 32% of respondents say that the annoyance caused by noise in their workplace is ‘completely’ likely to have repercussions on their behavior (compared to 29% in 2018) and 24% on the general balance of their health (compared to 20% in 2018). The onset of hearing problems is the element that has increased the most, cited this year in total by 65% of respondents compared to 57% in 2018.” Noise pollution that causes difficulties in understanding speech during telephone conversations for 50% of active workers.
“The results of this survey indicate the urgency of dealing with noise and its consequences on health as a real strategic public health issue. In the current state, telework does not represent a solution to improve its effects on human capital. Rethinking noise differently, understanding the mechanisms of the ear and its interactions with the brain is a matter of health educationsays the JNA at the origin of the investigation. To accelerate the movement, noise regulations must be reviewed as to their threshold for triggering actions.” The members of the association, made up in particular of doctors, are concerned about the premature wear of ear cells induced by sound exposure. They point out that the acoustic stress of noise alters the three functions of hearing: communication, alert and emotion. Uses that can disappear or regress in the event of deafness and/or tinnitus.
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