THE KEY TO SUCCESS: WHY NOISE CONTROL IS ESSENTIAL IN OUR HEALTHCARE SPACES

Noise pollution in healthcare environments can be damaging for both patients and staff. Ben Hancock, Managing Director of Oscar Acoustics, examines the worsening issue in our hospitals, and how we can tackle it.

Hospitals are meant to be therapeutic places of healing, but unchecked noise levels can create an unpleasant, and even damaging, environment for both staff and patients.

In our emergency rooms in particular, which are already high-pressure environments for healthcare professionals and stressful ones for admitted patients, multiple noise sources combine to create sound levels that interfere with concentration and increases stress.

The last few years have only served to compound this issue. The NHS has been struggling with an unprecedented demand for services, which has led to increased patient numbers and longer waiting times. This is having a major impact on A&E departments, which are seeing rising noise levels – aggravating already-challenging working conditions.

A study published in the British Medical Journal – and carried out by researchers from King’s College London and the University of the Arts London (UAL) –has revealed that this issue has reached potentially damaging levels. Highs of 100dB have been recorded in intensive care units, the equivalent of loud music through headphones and the point at which damage to hair cells in the ear takes place. This figure is more than double the level recommended by The World Health Organisation and can lead to hearing loss if left unchecked.

Hospitals are already occupied by some of the most vulnerable, and the most important thing for those patients is recovery. However, healthcare spaces are often filled with hard surfaces, allowing sound to reverberate, creating an echo chamber of noise that can prevent sleep – hindering an in-patient’s recovery in the process.

Quality acoustic ceiling sprays present the perfect solution for regulating excessive noise levels in healthcare environments. These seamless and decorative sprays can be applied to nearly all types of surfaces, significantly reducing noise by absorbing sound energy – creating a calmer environment for uncomfortable patients and pressured staff.

When choosing an acoustic spray solution, it’s important to check that it follows stringent fire safety regulations. Third-party certification can offer assurance on this point, and we recommend that our clients only use acoustic sprays that exceed Approved Document B fire requirements (Class 0 to BS 476 and B-s1,d0 fire rating).

A premium acoustic spray will also add to several sustainable design and health certification systems, such as BREEAM, SKA and the Living Building Challenge, and can add up to 17 points to a project’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating.

With an increasing emphasis on the quality of our air, especially indoors, choosing GREENGUARD Gold-certified acoustic sprays for indoor air quality (IAQ) can certainly assist to provide the highest welfare requirement for both workers and patients.

Acoustic sprays are also an ideal retrofit solution as they can be quick and easy to install, allowing for little disruption and minimal downtime to healthcare facilities that are already stretched to capacity.

The Government’s pledge to the New Hospitals Programme – the goal of constructing 40 new hospitals by 2030, as well as the refurbishment of a number of existing ones, represents the ideal opportunity to take acoustic health seriously. By implementing acoustic solutions, we can help transform our health service and create spaces that support recovery, improve focus and safeguard the health and wellbeing of patients and staff alike.

www.oscar-acoustics.co.uk