A commercial building situated near major roads and thoroughfares makes it very accessible to both employees and clients. However, it also becomes the receiving end of traffic noise – especially if located next to a freeway.
The effects of noise pollution in a workplace go beyond just being plain distracting. Whether the noise is coming from within or outside the room, it produces adverse outcomes, such as decreased productivity or even health risks.
Detrimental Effects of Noise Pollution
Most modern offices use an open-plan design, incorporating interiors with smooth wall furnishings made of metal and glass. While this design makes the workplace look sleek and easy to clean, the surfaces can amplify the sound in the area, creating an echo effect.
While you can easily ignore sounds from a photocopy machine or loud keyboard typing, other noisy and intermittent sounds like traffic noise can be borderline irritating.
The following are examples of how noise from traffic and other sources can affect your workers’ productivity and well-being:
1. Workers Get Tired Faster
Some noises are easy to ignore, like the idle chatter you hear in coffee shops. However, other loud sounds can stress you out and make you less productive. Workers distracted by traffic noise will need to block it out consciously. They have to exert more effort to complete their tasks – leading to poor quality of work and missed deadlines.
2. Increases Irritability
Exposure to excessive noise can overstimulate the nervous system, increasing blood pressure levels. Due to this, people can quickly get irritated. If most of your employees sharing the same office space experience this irritability, it can create a chaotic working environment.
3. Impacts Ergonomics
Noise can affect ergonomics as well. The Journal of Applied Psychology states that workers exposed to distracting noises are less likely to make postural adjustments. To concentrate and focus on their work despite the noise pollution, they slump at their desks, increasing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders.
4. Reduces Motivation
In the same study, workers show higher than normal epinephrine levels due to constant distractions like traffic noises. Epinephrine is a hormone linked to a sudden increase in a person’s stress levels. Employees who experience this will not have enough motivation to concentrate on and complete complex tasks.
5. Degenerates a Healthy Body
Apart from the obvious effect on a person’s hearing capability, a noisy work environment can also lead to lasting cardiovascular conditions. As revealed on their blog, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) disclosed how noise pollution in the workplace caused nine percent of workers to have higher cholesterol levels. They also linked around 14 percent of high blood pressure cases to distracting noises on the job.
Solve Traffic Noise Pollution in the Workplace Easily
Sound Fighter Systems products help reduce traffic noise effectively, preventing the harmful effects of noise pollution on human health. Whether you need a noise-reduction solution in a commercial space, manufacturing facility, or even industrial complex, Sound Fighter Systems has effective noise-reducing products that absorb or reflect noise from highways, HVAC systems, and other loud machinery.
Contact us today, and we will provide expert help with setting up a noise barrier in your workplace to cancel out noise pollution.
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