Noise, performance efficiency and safety

Abstract

This paper summarises our current knowledge of the non-auditory effects of noise on performance efficiency and safety. This topic has been studied both in the laboratory and in the field, and detailed accounts of the results for laboratory studies have been presented elsewhere, so only the main conclusions are given here. There have been few field studies of the effects of noise on accidents and productivity and these are discussed in detail here. Overall, the results from the laboratory and field both suggest that noise may influence efficiency and safety, although further prospective studies with appropriate interventions are required to give us more precise information about these effects.