Noise interferes with work. 1 in 2 working people say they are bothered by too high a noise level at work, so much so that 4 out of 10 working people do not hesitate to wear personal protection against noise, according to investigation carried out by the National Hearing Day Association (JNA) with Ipsos.
This noise pollution affects the performance of employees according to this survey: “1 in 5 active workers loses more than 30 minutes of work because of this discomfort”. This represents 29% of those under 35 and 32% of executives and higher intellectual professions.
The JNA collective, which raises awareness of hearing health every year on the occasion of Hearing Health Week at work (October 23 to 28), says a little more about noise pollution depending on the sector of activity. Thus, in the service sector, nearly 80% of employees say they are bothered by noise; 91% of workers say they are in difficulty with noise, the survey still indicates. Finally “80% of working people struggle to follow conversations because of ambient noise”.
Exposure to noise at work leads to stress, hearing fatigue and deafness which, when left untreated, impairs concentration and performance. The impact on health is real, points out the association again. “During the last hearing screening campaign carried out by the JNA within a company in the tertiary sector, out of 400 employees tested, 100 of them presented non-significant decreases in hearing requiring a complete assessment at the ENT doctor and 25 suffered from significant hearing loss requiring hearing aids”.
“A Noise Survival Guide”
Faced with the embarrassment caused by noise pollution, the association JNA (National Day of Hearing) publishes a “little guide to survival to noise and stress at work”. The booklet, with a revealing title, is intended to help employees better cope with these disturbing noises and to “adopt a new hygiene of hearing health”. In particular, he gives good gestures to protect his hearing, including: the means to manage his hearing fatigue, respite times at work and outside, a regular check-up of his hearing…
Far from being insignificant, occupational deafness ranks third among occupational diseases in France according to the Ministry of Health.
To consult the guide: http://www.sante-auditive-autravail.org/pdf/guide-sante-auditive-salaries.pdf
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