Noise stress has been studied in relation to physical and mental health in the context of road and rail traffic noise. But what about in the office? Could noise-induced work-related stress in the office environment be something for which employers are responsible under WorkSafe guidelines?

What is work-related stress?

According to WorkSafe Victoria, work-related stress is defined as:

the physical and psychological response of an employee who perceives that the demands of their work or workplace environment exceed their ability or resources to cope.

Work-related stress is only considered a problem if it is excessive and long-lasting. That’s not the momentary annoyance of someone talking too loudly while they get their coffee. But it could be an environment when day in and day out a worker is distracted to the point of stress by a noisy office.

According to WorkSafe Victoria, this can have a negative effect on employees’ health, safety and wellbeing and can lead to psychological injury.

The Law

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 2004, “employers must provide and maintain, so far as is reasonably practicable, a working environment that is safe and without risks to the health of employees.” This does include taking steps to prevent work-related stress.

Stress can come in many forms, including physical, psychological, emotional, and behavioural problems. This can be triggered by job demands, role clarity, and even environmental conditions. The environmental conditions can include indoor environment quality as much as dangerous outdoor working environments.

What about noise stress?

Environmental noise does not just relate to machinery or tools. It can include higher than acceptable noise within the office. It is well established that noise stress can lead to adverse mental and physical health. With a growing body of research on the impacts of noise stress, it is important that employers are proactive in their approach to noise.

What can employers do?

Employers need to conduct a risk management process, as detailed in this flow chart below. Employers should also be sure to engage with employees, including training managers to identify risks. For more information on this, WorkSafe Victoria has put together a factsheet.

Sound masking and noise stress

Soundmask has been called in before to help employers prevent work-related stress due to a noisy office. For example, where employees have had difficulties within a call centre due to the uncomfortably loud voice of another employee causing significant distress to other employees. Introducing a Soundmask system has reduced the intrusive noise and therefore the annoyance and stress of the surrounding workers.

Indeed, WorkSafe Victoria itself has a Soundmask system operating in its head office to improve speech privacy in some areas. The regulator did its due diligence before installing the system, including a thorough risk assessment for introducing an additional sound into the environment. We were happy to take part in that, and were pleased that our system met with the regulator’s high standards.

If you are concerned about noise stress within the office environment and think sound masking might help, please contact us.

For more information on work-related stress, see your local regulatory body.