In France, one in five workers is exposed to noise, according to a study

In general, the building and public works professions are those who concentrate the most workers exposed to noise, according to a France study in France.

Noise can have serious health consequences. However, more than one in five workers (5 million in total) was, in 2019, potentially exposed to noise greater than 70 decibels for at least 8 hours per day, concludes a study of public health France (SPF), published Tuesday, March 1. This sound level is considered, in the scientific literature, as “can be tiring” and requires “Start forcing the voice to have a normal conversation”.

The proportion of employees concerned drops slightly with time (22.9% of workers in 2007 against 20.5% in 2019). Men are the majority (almost 80%). Among the population exposed to noise, more than a third (35.8%) was at a lesional level, that is to say that can lead to non-reversible health effects, going as far as deafness. For the others, noises could nevertheless cause negative health impacts (hearing fatigue, tinnitus, stress, fatigue, sleep disorders, cardiovascular disorders, etc.).

If the status of employment does not seem to have an impact for the exposure of men, SPF notes that “Women Non-salaried had higher presentation proportions than employees in the agriculture, industry and construction sectors. ” In general, the building and public works professions are those which concentrate the most workers exposed to noise, and the latter are more often of high intensity. Next come the transport, logistics and tourism professions. The mechanical and metal work sector, which has few professionals, nevertheless concentrates “The most important proportion of exposed workers” (78%), notes SPF.