Permissible levels of noise for different types of rooms were established experimentally.
Tasks with a high need for concentration such as conceptual work require a lower level of noise (not exceeding 40 dB), whereas the range 55–65 dB is acceptable for other types of office spaces (interestingly, only 15–30 dB are allowed in homes).
Scientific studies confirm beyond doubt that prolonged exposure to noise of 60–70 dB may cause a permanent hearing impairment.
Acoustic comfort - what is it?
The term “acoustic comfort” may be unknown to many white-collar workers in Poland, because they usually work in noisy conditions are more likely to experience acoustic discomfort than comfort.
Acoustic comfort in our office environment is primarily associated with work technology of the office, which depends in turn on the structure of the company, its corporate culture, and its strategy of customer service.
Sources of equipment-generated noise in modern offices include communication and automation devices that are at the disposal of office workers. Commonly used landline or mobile phones that are equipped with acoustic signals to alert users of a forthcoming telephone call, certainly disrupt this comfort.
If a large number of people possessing such phones work in one room, it is inevitable that the phones will ring almost incessantly. With so much noise, it is difficult to ensure acoustic comfort for employees and enable them to concentrate.
In a noisy room, it is not really possible to be effective in business talks with clients who visit the office at such a moment.
This problem may be solved by conducting meetings and negotiations in a separate room, where it is possible to talk with a client in good acoustic conditions, which will certainly help to increase the company’s profits.
An employee may then present the company’s offer in detail and give factual answers to the customer’s questions, while the customer feels satisfied and well taken care of.
Small is better
There is a kind of “indicator”, which defines noise in an office space. It is colloquially referred to as “population rate/occupancy level” of a given area that is the amount of office space per employee (it is used to compare offices of the same type. e.g. commercial offices).
Every employee talks, moves and performs activities generating a certain amount of noise. In addition, he or she has a computer that also produces some noise. It will not be surprising then that decibel levels will increase, if there are a few or more employees in one room.
In such an office, there is less space for each employee. Their workstations are placed closer together and the noise generated by one workstation will be more distracting to people in adjacent workspaces.
The acoustic comfort of a given room largely depends on its type, size, and designation.
In small office rooms with 2-4 occupants, where it is possible to provide sound insulation for every workstation, the level of noise usually ranges between 35 and 42 dB.
In rooms occupied by 4-12 employees, where it is also possible to provide a fairly effective sound insulation for each workstation, the level of noise ranges between 45 and 53 dB, despite the noise produced by a large number of technical appliances.
In larger rooms, where there are fewer possibilities of reducing or redirecting sound away from workstations, the level of noise usually ranges from 50 to 58 dB.
Whereas in large “open-plan” environments, where it is necessary to separate each workstation with sound-absorbing screens, the level of noise often exceeds permissible norms, usually falling within the range of 52-68 dB.
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How to protect oneself from noise?
We should (or rather must) protect ourselves from noise in the workplace.
It can be done, for example, by:
