Noise is usually defined as any disturbing sound. In practice, it is referred to as ‘sound’ when pleasant, and ‘noise’ when annoying.

Even at low levels, unwanted sounds can pose health and safety hazards by increasing stress levels, and impairing communication and concentration. Sudden unexpected noises can startle and cause accidents. At high levels, noise can cause problems like headaches, nausea and hearing loss.

Sources

Noise within the office can originate from internal and external sources. The greatest sources of internal noise are poorly-designed inexpensive office equipment such as telephones, printers and photocopiers. However, in offices closer home, it is people who are the real noise generators (Let’s face it: We are loud people – generically and, probably, genetically too!).

Background noise generated by a building, such as from elevators and air-conditioning, can be another source.

External noise sources can include road traffic and general industrial noise.

Workplace sounds can be steady (such as the continuous hum from a ventilation system or a computer), intermittent (sound which comes and goes) or impact (sounds of short duration such as the snap of an electric stapler).

Hazards

Generally, levels of noise in office areas are well below levels known to pose a risk to hearing. In offices, noise can become an issue if it interferes with communication, annoys or distracts people and affects a person’s performance. This can be costly for an organisation. Noise that prevents a person from understanding an instruction or warning signal may also be a risk to safety.

Solutions

There are several things you can do to control noise in your office environment.

Train your people to control loudness of speech. It is most easy to modulate one’s voice without becoming inaudible (plus it is more dignified!)

Ask every employee to lower the volume setting on his/her telephone. This is a simple and yet effective way of not disturbing others.

Adopt administrative controls such as encouraging employees to use places away from work areas for conversations.

Some privacy during conversations is required, particularly in open-plan offices. When arranging the layout of workstations, allow sufficient space between them. They should be located away from high-traffic areas so that people can work without being distracted.

Partitions are frequently installed to provide privacy between workstations. This involves considering the design of the whole environment, including size, construction and continuity of partitioning and all other surfaces in the office. However, installation of barriers should take into account the effect it may have on ventilation and any sense of isolation it may cause to the staff. Expert advice should be sought when designing partitions.

Define corridors, passages and walkways with partitions or free-standing screens.

Provide acoustic-grade dividing screens to reduce conversation noise. Studies have found that partitions with sound-absorbing panels at least 1.6 metres high are required to have a blocking effect on the transfer of sound between workstations. These panels need to be used in conjunction with other sound-absorbing surfaces — floors, walls and ceilings — to be effective.

In an open-plan office, compromises may be made to allow communication between workstations by using 1.2 to 1.3 metres high partitions between employees and 1.6 metres high partitions between work sections.

Install double-glazed windows and solid walls to block external noise.

Select equipment with the lowest noise specifications. Isolate noisy equipment such as printers or photocopiers by placing them in separate rooms, fitting them with acoustic hoods. Don’t place them against a hard wall or in a corner as the sound will be reflected back into the workplace.

Prevent noise from chair bearings, door hinges and moving equipment parts by lubricating them regularly.

Use masking sound or white noise. These terms are applied to electronically generated background noise that is deliberately introduced in offices to cover up intrusive noises. Music in the workplace, either piped-in music or from a radio, is sometimes used to mask sounds. However, it is best to control unwanted noise rather than try to mask it.

Also remember some background noise is actually desirable — an absolutely quiet environment can become uncomfortable and non-human, especially for people not used to dead-silent surroundings.

(The author is an interior design consultant, specialising in the design of corporate and residential interiors. As a senior faculty member at a Calcutta institute, she has delivered lectures, guided research and conducted projects in the field of ‘Housing & Interior Design’ for over two decades. She can be contacted at kusumsmail@yahoo.com).

problem posers

To detect disturbing noise sources in an office, ask employees the following questions:

• What noise, if any, is most disturbing to you?
• When does it occur?
• What effect does it have on you?
• How do you deal with the disturbing noise?