One in three Aussie workers affected by noise

A Safe Work Australia report released earlier this year based on the National Hazard Exposure Worker Surveillance survey shows many Australian workers risk injury from loud workplace noise.

Key findings include:

• Between 28 and 32 per cent of the Australian workforce are likely to work in an environment where they are exposed to non-trivial loud noise.
• Male workers were more likely to report exposure to loud noise than female workers.
• Young workers were more likely to report exposure to loud noise than older workers.
• Workers who worked at night were more likely to report exposure to loud noise than workers who worked during the day.
• The main industries in which workers reported exposure to loud noise were manufacturing and construction.
• Only 41 per cent of exposed workers reported they had received training in noise injury prevention.

The full report is available at: www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au