The Effects of Nonphysical Noise Characteristics, Ongoing Task and Noise Sensitivity on Annoyance and Distraction Due to Noise at Work

Kjellberg, Anders; Landström, Ulf; Tesarz, Maria; Söderberg, Lena; Åkerlund, Elisabeth

doi:10.1006/jevp.1996.0010

Cited by 132 publications

(101 citation statements)

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“…Inadequate duration of breaks and poor supervisor support were not retained in the fully adjusted models, despite other studies finding that they consistently increased the risk of UE symptoms among CC and other office workers 10,36,37) . Also, noise exposure has never been linked, to our knowledge, to UEMSD risk, but it has been observed that the frequent presence of sudden sounds and operators' voices in CCs may act as a psychological stressor, because it makes it more difficult to understand clients during telephone 6,38,39) . The present results need to be interpreted in the light of the several limitations of the study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Factors for Upper Extremity Musculoskeletal Symptoms among Call Center Employees

d’Errico¹,

Caputo²,

Falcone³

et al. 2010

Journal of Occupational Health

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Risk Factors for Upper Extremity Musculoskeletal Symptoms among Call Center Employees: Angelo d'ERRICO, et al. Epidemiology Unit ASL TO3-Piedmont Region, Italy-Objectives:To investigate the prevalence of musculoskeletal symptoms in the upper extremity (UE) in a sample of Italian call center (CC) operators, and the relationship between the symptoms and potential workplace risk factors. Methods: During 2005-2006, 775 workers from seven CCs in the Turin area participated in a questionnaire survey of exposure to ergonomic, organizational and psychosocial factors at work, sociodemographics, lifestyle, symptoms and diseases. Musculoskeletal symptoms were defined as selfreported musculoskeletal symptoms in the UE during the previous 28 days, for which a physician was consulted and/or drugs were taken. Relative risks were estimated through Poisson regression models with the Huber-White sandwich estimator of variance. Result: Overall, 45% of workers reported UE symptoms in the last four weeks. Symptoms in the neck were the most prevalent (39%), followed by the shoulder (22%), handwrist (10%) and elbow (4%). Among workplace risk factors, neck-shoulder symptoms were associated with low job control, elevated noise, poor desk lighting and impossibility to lean back while sitting; whereas elbowhand/wrist symptoms were associated with short intervals between calls, insufficient working space, lack of forearm support, job insecurity and long seniority in the CC industry. Conclusions: The high prevalence of UE symptoms in this sample was similar to that reported by other studies conducted in this industry. Our results confirm previously reported associations, such as poor characteristics of the workstation and psychological stressors. The striking difference between the set of risk factors for neck-shoulder and elbow/wrist-hand symptoms indicates that the two regions should be investigated separately.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Factors for Upper Extremity Musculoskeletal Symptoms among Call Center Employees

d’Errico¹,

Caputo²,

Falcone³

et al. 2010

Journal of Occupational Health

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“…Research also suggests strong individual differences in response to distractions, with introverts more likely to be bothered than extroverts (Belojevic et al, 2001), as are those who score high on noise sensitivity and annoyance measures (Kjellberg et al, 1996).…”

Section: Potential Bene¢ts and Constraintsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Collaborative knowledge work environments

Heerwagen¹,

Kampschroer

Powell³

et al. 2004

Building Research & Information

176

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How can the physical design of the workplace enhance collaborations without compromising an individual's productivity? The body of research on the links between physical space and collaboration in knowledge work settings is reviewed. Collaboration is viewed as a system of behaviours that includes both social and solitary work. The social aspects of collaboration are discussed in terms of three dimensions: awareness, brief interaction and collaboration (working together). Current knowledge on the links between space and the social as well as individual aspects of collaborative work is reviewed. The central conflict of collaboration is considered: how to design effectively to provide a balance between the need to interact and the need to work effectively by oneself. The body of literature shows that features and attributes of space can be manipulated to increase awareness, interaction and collaboration. However, doing so frequently has negative impacts on individual work as a result of increases in noise distractions and interruptions to on-going work. The effects are most harmful for individual tasks requiring complex and focused mental work. The negative effects are compounded by a workplace that increasingly suffers from cognitive overload brought on by time stress, increased workload and multitasking. Keywords: cognitive overload, collaboration, evidence-based design, individual effectiveness, interaction, knowledge work, office awareness, workplace awareness, workplace design Comment la conception physique du lieu de travail peut-elle améliorer les collaborations sans compromettre la productivité individuelle ? L'auteur passe en revue l'ensemble des recherches conduites sur les liens qui existent entre l'espace physique et la collaboration au niveau de la connaissance du cadre de travail. La collaboration est définie comme un système de comportements qui recouvre le travail en groupe et le travail solitaire. Les aspects sociaux de la collaboration sont examinés sous trois angles différents: prise de conscience, brèves interactions et collaboration (travailler ensemble). L'auteur examine les connaissances actuelles en matière de liens entre l'espace et la dimension sociale et aussi en termes d'aspects individuels du travail en collaboration. L'auteur étudie ensuite le conflit qui est au coeur du travail en collaboration: comment concevoir avec efficacité pour arriver à un équilibre entre le besoin d'interagir et celui de travailler seul efficacement ? La littérature consacrée à ce sujet montre que les caractéristiques et les attributs de l'espace peuvent être manipulés pour augmenter la prise de conscience, l'interaction et la collaboration. Mais des manipulations trop fréquentes ont des incidences négatives sur le travail individuel du fait de l'augmentation du bruit, des distractions et des interruptions du travail en cours. Elles sont surtout préjudiciables aux tâches individuelles complexes qui nécessitent

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“…Kjellberg et al investigated the effects of noise and found that background noise is a source of stress and has a detrimental effect on cognitive performance [18]. False alarms disturb the sonic environment, are distracting and may lead to annoyance [1,6].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of audible alarms on anaesthesiologists' response times to adverse events in a simulated anaesthesia environment: a randomised trial

et al. 2014

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SummaryAlarms are ubiquitous in anaesthetic practice, but their net effect on anaesthesiologists' performance and patient safety is debated. In this study, 27 anaesthesiologists performed two simulation sessions in random order; one session was programmed to include an alarm condition, with a standard, frequent, clearly audible alarm sound. During these sessions, adverse events were simulated and anaesthesiologists' response times to these events were recorded. Perceived workload was assessed with the NASA Task Load Index. Response times to adverse events and perceived workload were similar in both groups. Pooled response times to atrial fibrillation and desaturation were fast, with a median ( This study shows that in a simulated anaesthesia environment, response times to adverse events are similar in the absence or presence of an audible alarm, and that response times to various critical events differ.

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The Effects of Nonphysical Noise Characteristics, Ongoing Task and Noise Sensitivity on Annoyance and Distraction Due to Noise at Work

Cited by 132 publications

References 0 publications

Risk Factors for Upper Extremity Musculoskeletal Symptoms among Call Center Employees

Risk Factors for Upper Extremity Musculoskeletal Symptoms among Call Center Employees

Collaborative knowledge work environments

The effect of audible alarms on anaesthesiologists' response times to adverse events in a simulated anaesthesia environment: a randomised trial

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