Sonic disruption: Is a noisy workplace harming your health?

Exposure to noise occurs throughout the day — and its effects are now recognised as a global health challenge.

The World Health Organization links noise pollution to a range of short- and long-term health issues, including disturbed sleep, poor work performance and cardiovascular disease.

Noise exposure also contributes to 22 per cent of workplace-related health issues. 

Construction and manufacturing sites might be the obvious culprits for hearing damage, but research suggests that noise does not need to be extreme to be harmful. Even low-level background noise in offices can be detrimental to workplace wellbeing. 

Health and productivity risks

A 2021 study conducted by Bond University in Queensland, Australia, demonstrated the connection between office noise and physiological stress.

Participants were asked to complete a proofreading task in two environments: an open-plan office and a private office.

People in the former space were exposed to typical office sounds, such as people walking, talking or using phones and computers. After just eight minutes, participants’ negative mood increased by 25 per cent. Physiological stress, measured through heart rate and sweat response, rose by up to 34 per cent. 

These effects stem less from hearing itself than from the body’s stress response, says Catherine McMahon, professor of audiology and academic director of the Australian Hearing Hub at Macquarie University in Sydney.

“Constant noise can decrease productivity,” she explains. “If it acts as a stressor, it can increase cortisol levels. So, from a long-term health perspective, it can create all the negative effects that stress can.”

How noisy is too noisy?

To avoid the adverse health effects of “noise stress”, Safe Work Australia recommends keeping workplace noise below 50 dBA  (adjusted decibels) for high-concentration tasks and below 70 dBA for routine work requiring speed or attentiveness. For comparison, normal conversation measures about 60 dBA.

While occupational hygienists can assess noise levels, McMahon notes that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. “I think people need to be proactive in the way they address these types of things,” she says. “Noise-cancelling headphones, for example, can be really beneficial for those people who are struggling to maintain concentration with noise going on in the background.”

 

"Constant noise can decrease productivity. If it acts as a stressor, it can increase cortisol levels. So, from a long-term health perspective, it can create all the negative effects that stress can."

 

Management can also help by clearly communicating expectations around noise. “This could involve sending an email, outlining what a respectful environment sounds like and some of the challenges people have in relation to concentration and focus.”

Acoustic design for healthier workplaces

The days of workers closing the door to a private office for quiet or solitude are largely gone. Today, many employees work in open-plan spaces designed for collaboration. At the same time, hybrid work has changed how these spaces are used.

As some organisations reduce office footprints, higher occupational density can leave onsite workers in closer proximity, amplifying noise from conversations and video calls. This means many workplaces are no longer acoustically fit for purpose, says Matthew Ottley, director at Marshall Day Acoustics.

“Up until five or so years ago, we would design workspaces with some dedicated rooms for video conferencing, which tended to be specified to a higher acoustic standard,” he says. “Now, every meeting room is a video-conferencing room. Every workstation is a point to take video calls from.”

 

"Up until five or so years ago, we would design workspaces with some dedicated rooms for video conferencing, which tended to be specified to a higher acoustic standard. Now, every meeting room is a video-conferencing room. Every workstation is a point to take video calls from."

 

Acoustic consultants can assess noise sources such as traffic, heating/cooling systems and sound from adjacent spaces, but how sound lingers within a workplace is equally important.

“In a big, open office with no acoustic absorption, noise just bounces around,” Ottley says. “And in a meeting room without acoustic treatment, video calls can be hard to hear.”

Noise reduction strategies for productivity

Whether updating an existing workplace or designing a new one, Ottley recommends planning spaces around how people work. This is where zoning and layout come into play. 

“It is very uncommon now to do a fit-out that is homogenous across a whole floor plan,” he says. “There tend to be quiet areas where people can work for focused activity and some collaborative areas for interacting. Then there are breakout spaces or booths for taking phone or video calls, plus meeting rooms where groups have privacy and connectivity to remote teams.” 

Ottley recommends the following strategies to manage acoustics in the workplace.

• Reduce external noise: This largely depends on building features such as the thickness of window glass and the roof and wall materials. Discuss options with an architect or builder.
• Minimise reverberation: Acoustic ceiling or wall panels can be added to a building’s existing structure to absorb noise. Look for a panel or treatment with a high noise reduction coefficient (NRC) rating — for example, NRC 0.9 means 90 per cent of the sound that hits it will not bounce back. Acoustically absorptive pinboards can be a good way to soften noise.
• Prioritise acoustics in meeting rooms: Invest in acoustic doors “so when you close the door to the meeting room, you do not hear what is going on in the open office”.
• Get the zoning layout right: Position workstations where staff will be doing focused work in the quietest location away from the kitchen, breakout spaces and other noisy areas. 
• Install partitions between workstations: Workstation partitions, dividers or screens can be used to create acoustic separation between adjacent workers.
• Use background noise: Consider installing a sound-masking system with hidden speakers in the ceiling that emit static noise. “By lifting that background ambient noise level, it covers up the noise from people at desks a few workstations away.”