Acoustic shock remains a risk for call-centre workers

Two-thirds of UK contact centres are failing to protect their workers against hearing damage from noise, putting many of their 900,000-strong workforce at risk.

That was the theme of the Acoustic Safety Conference, supported by the CWU communication workers' union, which took place in Glasgow last month.

Acoustic shock - defined as "any temporary or permanent disturbance of the functioning of the ear, or of the nervous system, which may be caused to the user of a telephone earphone by a sudden sharp rise in the acoustic pressure produced by it" - has been highlighted as a hazard by the union for years (see Workplace Report, January 2005).

But the conference heard that injuries and illnesses from acoustic shock and other noise-related hazards are on the increase. Compensation totalling £2.5 million has been paid out to 700-plus victims of the condition so far, and around 300 further cases are pending.

Glasgow is the UK's call-centre capital: more than 200 centres in the Strathclyde region employ over 20,000 people, with more (including a new O2 centre with 1,500-plus staff) being opened all the time.

"We care about hearing", a new campaign launched by the CWU-backed Acoustic Safety Programme, is looking to fund a much-needed nationwide research project into the causes and effects of noise interference and acoustic shock on telephone and headset users, and to work out how to prevent exposure. The campaign is now seeking donations from call-centre employers.