Noise exposure and auditory effects on preschool personnel

Abstract

Hearing impairments and tinnitus are being reported in an increasing extent from employees in the preschool. The investigation included 101 employees at 17 preschools in Umeå county, Sweden. Individual noise recordings and stationary recordings in dining rooms and play halls were conducted at two departments per preschool. The effects of noise exposures were carried out through audiometric screenings and by use of questionnaires. The average individual noise exposure was close to 71 dB(A), with individual differences but small differences between the preschools. The noise levels in the dining room and playing halls were about 64 dB(A), with small differences between the investigated types of rooms and preschools. The hearing loss of the employees was significantly higher for the frequencies tested when compared with an unexposed control group in Sweden. Symptoms of tinnitus were reported among about 31% of the employees. Annoyance was rated as somewhat to very annoying. The voices of the children were the most annoying noise source. The dB(A) level and fluctuation of the noise exposure were significantly correlated to the number of children per department. The preschool sound environment is complex and our findings indicate that the sound environment is hazardous regarding auditory disorders. The fluctuation of the noise is of special interest for further research.

Noise and stress effects on preschool personnel

“…This deviation from the LA eq can be interpreted as a large deviation in the sound level. A more detailed description of the recordings and analyses of noise exposures are given in Sjodin et al [7] Subjective ratings were used for evaluation of different noise sources at the preschool. Questions were asked regarding different possible sources and their disturbance from i.e.…”

“…They have been found to complain of hearing problems, primarily tinnitus, but also hearing impairment. [7] Voice problems are another possible consequences of having to talk in environments with a high sound level. [8] A special distinction of the noise in this context is that the sound carries information, which professional responsibilities require the personnel to attend to.…”

Individual factors and its association with experience noise annoyance in Swedish preschools

“…Sjödin, Kjellberg, Knutsson, Landström, & Lindberg, 2012b). Although the noise levels seldom reaches levels that may cause an instant hearing impairment the levels often exceeds 75-80 dB(A) during a work day for some teachers (F. Sjödin et al, 2012b). Even though the levels in Sweden usually do not exceed the occupational health limits the number of reports regarding hearing related ill health has increased from teachers working in the preschool (Arbetsmiljöverket, 2006).…”

“…It is very likely that noise annoyance is an important link between stress related ill health and noise exposure. Noise annoyance is often reported from employees working under poor acoustical conditions (F. Sjödin et al, 2012b). The definition of noise annoyance is not well defined and differs between studies.…”

“…Studies have shown that preschool teachers often report that they have a troublesome working environment in terms of high noise levels (Grebennikov, 2006;Grebennikov & Wiggins, 2006;F. Sjödin, Kjellberg, Knutsson, Landström, & Lindberg, 2012b).…”