Communication in a noisy environment

Hearing is one of our most useful tools. But in many workplaces, a noisy work environment makes it difficult to communicate. This increases the risk of accidents and hearing damage. But with modern technology and innovative solutions, you can protect your hearing, prevent accidents and make your work more efficient. And it starts with analyzing what risks there are at your workplace.

Active protection when communicating in noisy environments

The following provide a good foundation for protecting yourself when communicating in a noisy environment:

Listening at the workplace
By analyzing the workplace from a noise perspective, you can put the right measures in place where most effective.

Measure the decibel level
In workplaces with a noise level of 85 dB or higher, hearing protection must always be worn.

Use the correct noise protection
There is a wide range of hearing protection. By using protection that enables communication without having to remove the protection, the risk of injuries and accidents is reduced.

Protective equipment against injury when communicating in noisy environments

Here you will find products that protect you against injury when communicating in noisy environments.

Contact

Would you like more information or to order a risk analysis, free of charge?

FAQ – communication in noisy environments

Here you will find questions and answers relating to communication in noisy environments, in terms of what applies, how to protect yourself, etc.

What are the risks of poor communication in noisy environments?

The risk of being hit by a vehicle, for example, is much higher if you don't hear what’s going on around you. Not hearing forklift trucks, warning calls, alarms, signals and other sounds that warn of danger can have serious consequences.

Sometimes you try to solve the problem by lifting up your hearing protectors to talk. Every time you lift the hearing protector to communicate, protection is reduced and the risk of hearing damage is increased.

Commonly exposed industries

Construction
Industry
Mines
Sawmills
Airports
Infrastructure

But the risk is present in all workplaces where noise prevents communication.

How to communicate in noisy environments

The most common and simple solution is to use hearing protection with monitoring function. They enable you to communicate with a colleague at a machine, for example, without having to shout or lift up your hearing protection. You can talk in a normal conversational tone and at the same time get clear sound quality in your hearing protection. Monitoring also allows you to hear warning signals and alarms.

Mechanical monitoring
This can be done mechanically using a filter that filters out harmful noise levels and is not uncommon in more exclusive earplugs.

Electronic monitoring
Hearing protection with electronic monitoring is more effective and provides better sound. Electronic monitoring works as a way for electronic microphones to let sound into the room at the right level, while blocking dangerous noise levels. It is also possible to increase the sound to hear better, but never above 82 dB.

Bluetooth
If you often need to talk or communicate from a longer distance, ear muffs or earplugs with Bluetooth technology can be a good solution.

The hearing protection is connected to an external device in order to communicate through it. The solution is usually via a mobile phone. This solution works very well if you need to talk to a person for a limited time.

Hearing protection with Bluetooth almost always has a monitoring function in the product.

Earmuffs with built-in two-way radio
A two-way radio where only one person can talk at a time. This type of transferred communication is usually recommended where the distances between the people who need to communicate are within the workplace area and contact is required via brief instructions on an ongoing basis during a working day. It is also possible to have many people in a team who communicate unhindered about problems/solutions in, for example, production.

In the event of extreme noise, there are other solutions for communication, including the skull microphone and throat microphone. These perceive vibrations instead of sound waves.

Remember...

At extreme noise levels, electronic monitoring also has problems. This is because the outer microphone breaks out completely to avoid harmful noises. In such environments, communication transmission (e.g. two-way radio, telephone) is required, even when facing each other.

What does the law say?

There is no law regarding communication, but hearing protection must be offered by the employer at more than 80 dB. If the noise levels are above 85 dB, the worker must always wear hearing protection.