Noise at work

The extent of the problem

Every day, millions of employees in Europe are exposed to noise at work and all the risks this can entail. While noise is most obviously a problem in industries such as manufacturing and construction, it can also be an issue in a wide range of other working environments, from call centres to schools, orchestra pits to bars.

One in five of Europe’s workers have to raise their voices to be heard for at least half of the time that they are at work and 7% suffer from work-related hearing difficulties.[i] Noise induced hearing loss is the most common reported occupational disease in the EU.[ii]

• What is noise?
• What problems can noise cause?
• Who is at risk?
• Reducing noise?
• Agency publications
• Legislation 

 

 

[i] EU 15 figures. Reported in Eurostat: Work and health in the EU: a statistical portrait. ISBN 92-894-7006-2

[ii] EU 15 figures. Reported in European Agency for Safety and Health at Work Data to describe the link between OSH and employability 2002 ISBN 92-95007-66-2