It’s a noisy job, but somebody’s gotta do it

You know that Discovery Channel show “Dirty Jobs?” Well, somebody ought to do a show called “Noisy Jobs”—because there sure are enough of them. What’s the first noisy job you think of? Construction is an obvious one. Auto mechanics are another. Come to think of it, any kind of mechanic is probably working in a pretty noisy environment.

But there are lots of others. In fact, in a University of British Columbia study, a noisy workplace is defined as one where employees have to raise their voices to be heard. Sounds like quite a few jobs would fall into that category! Taxi drivers, tour bus drivers, truck drivers and warehouse workers (or anyone who works in a warehouse store). How about railroad and airline employees? EMTs, people who work for landscaping companies, restaurant workers. Then there are musicians, both the amplified (i.e., electric) and symphonic varieties. The list goes on.

Speaking of lists, here’s a list of job-related decibel levels. As you look it over, keep in mind that a 10 dB increase is perceived as having the noise be twice as loud:

1. Jet plane (from 100 ft): 130 dB
2. Jack hammer: 130 dB
3. Ambulance: 120 dB
4. Symphonic music: 120 dB
5. Nursing shift change: 113 dB
6. Portable X-ray machine: 98 dB
7. Shop tools: 90 dB
8. Gas mower: 90 dB
9. Subway (inside): 90 dB
10. Truck traffic: 90 dB
11. Idling bulldozer: 85 dB
12. Restaurant: 65-80 dB

Source: DangerousDecibels.org.

OK, so it gets really loud at some workplaces. So what? Well, hearing loss is obviously a serious issue. But it’s also been shown that people who work where there’s prolonged noise are 2 to 3 times more likely to develop heart disease, chest pain and high blood pressure than those with quiet jobs.

If you’re in one of these industries, what can you do about it? Hearing protection may be the way to go. In fact, OSHA requires employers to provide hearing protection for anyone exposed to noise levels of 85 dB or more for at least eight hours a day. Soundproofing—like special matting under carpeting—is another alternative. But it’s certainly worth doing something about.

And while VXi can’t do anything about reducing the noise level where you work, we can help you deal with it, with our noise-canceling headsets. If you work in a moderately noisy place, like your average office or contact center, just about any of our CC&O headsets will do the trick. If you work in one of those extremely noisy environments, like the ones mentioned above, we recommend you try one of our BlueParrott™ Bluetooth headsets. They use a combination of high-performance noise-canceling with our Xtreme Noise Suppression™ technology to knock out even the most extreme noise. A VXi headset won’t make your workplace any quieter, but at least you’ll be able to hear and be heard when you’re on the phone.