Time to tell the boss to turn-it-down!  

Is the noise in the workplace getting you down?  Is it time to tell everyone around you to “turn-it-down”, or “shut up”?  Should noisy equipment be replaced?

A recent study1 showed that environmental noise pollution increases the risk for hearing loss, stress, sleep disruption, annoyance, and cardiovascular disease and has other adverse health impacts. Recent (2013) estimates suggest that more than 100 million Americans are exposed to unhealthy levels of noise.  

Given the pervasive nature and significant health effects of environmental noise pollution, the corresponding economic impacts may be substantial. 

The analyses suggested that a 5-dB noise reduction scenario would reduce the prevalence of hypertension by 1.4% and coronary heart disease by 1.8%. The annual economic benefit was estimated at $3.9 billion. 

But what are some of the side effects of noise?

One well-known effect of overexposure to noise is hearing loss, or the inability to hear certain sounds. But another risk is a phenomenon that is just the opposite: perceiving sounds when there are none. This perception of sound when no external sound is present is called tinnitus, or "ringing in the ear." 

Exposure of pregnant workers to high noise levels at work can affect the unborn child. ‘Prolonged exposure to loud noise may lead to increased blood pressure and tiredness. Experimental evidence suggests that prolonged exposure of the unborn child to loud noise during pregnancy may have an effect on later hearing and that low frequencies have a greater potential for causing harm.’2

Noise can also lead to accidents by:  

Ø making it harder for workers to hear and correctly understand speech and signals;  

Ø masking the sound of approaching danger or warning signals (e.g. reversing signals on vehicles);  

Ø distracting workers, such as drivers;  

Ø contributing to work-related stress that increases the cognitive load, increasing the likelihood of errors. 

Environmental noise is not believed to be a direct cause of mental illness, but it is assumed that it accelerates and intensifies the development of latent mental disorder. Studies on the adverse effects of environmental noise on mental health cover a variety of symptoms, including anxiety; emotional stress; nervous complaints; nausea; headaches; instability; argumentativeness; sexual impotency; changes in mood; increase in social conflicts, as well as general psychiatric disorders such as neurosis, psychosis and hysteria.3   

So it seems fairly obvious that if you want to hear the whispered gossip in the office, and then go home and enjoy an evening of sex, tell the boss to turn-it-down.