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Attention: health, industrial, social affairs correspondents; health and safety media

Work is making us hoarse says TUC

With winter, the season for coughs and colds fast approaching, a TUC report published today (Friday) is warning that the combination of bugs and germs, dry, centrally-heated offices and jobs that place a strain on employees’ vocal chords could prove disastrous for the millions of UK workers who rely on their voices to do their jobs.

‘Work hoarse’, which appears in the latest issue of the TUC-backed health and safety magazine ‘Hazards’, says that teachers and call centre workers are the groups of workers most likely to be suffering a silent blight at this time of year. Figures from the US suggest that as many as five million workers in the UK could be routinely affected by voice loss, at annual cost to the economy of over £200 million.

In any one year around one in five teachers has to miss school due to voice-related problems, around five times the rate for the UK workforce as a whole. And in recent years, the call centre industry has grown massively, with around a million employees now at risk of occupational voice loss. The Royal College of Speech and Language has reported increasing numbers of call centre workers being referred to speech therapists, blaming their voice loss on over-long scripts, long hours and few opportunities to take a break for a drink of water.

The TUC report says that a wide variety of other workers are at risk of losing their voices as a result of the jobs they do, including childcare workers, shopworkers, radio and TV reporters, sales staff, barristers, bingo callers, counsellors and fitness instructors. It also says that whilst talking is clearly not avoidable in many jobs, voice loss is.

A key factor leading to occupational voice loss is voice overuse, says the Hazards article, because human voices are not designed for constant use without breaks. Low humidity doesn’t help, neither does stress, tiredness, poor workplace air quality, or chemicals like chlorine and organic solvents that are common in many workplaces.

‘Work hoarse’ contains a number of recommendations for how employers and union safety reps can help reduce the risk of occupational voice loss:

• Provide a working environment that has a comfortable temperature and humidity, and control dust and chemicals, as both can inflame the membranes of the vocal tract.

• Carry out a risk assessment that looks at the jobs most at risk of voice loss and stress, look at ways of changing the way people work to minimise any risk.

• Ensure staff take regular rest breaks and drink plenty of fresh water, and don’t put pressure on staff to come into work when they are not well enough to do so.

‘Work hoarse’ contains a number of case studies:

• Edinburgh-based college lecturer Donny Gluckstein lost his voice last year. Filling in for absent colleagues and running an intensive course made him hoarse to the point where even speaking gently was painful, and a visit to his GP confirmed he was unable to speak due to work-related voice overuse. Knowing that he could no longer go on as before, he asked him managers to make changes to the way he worked. But even with the aid of a radio mike, laptop and projector, his voice became too weak to speak. He continued teaching, silently, with the help of portable whiteboards and the laptop. Donny's voice only started to improve when he went to see an ear, nose and throat specialist, who said that instead of rest he needed exercise supervised by a speech therapist. He still uses the laptop and projector, has dropped the intensive classes, and has his remaining lectures spread out over the week to avoid long periods of unbroken teaching.

• Peter Hilton was working worked for Regional Railways as a training instructor and often had to lecture inside a depot while engines were running, competing with the noise and diesel fumes. During 1992, he found his voice was becoming hoarse, and more and more often he had to reach for a glass of water so that he could continue lecturing. His GP sent him to a consultant, who diagnosed chronic laryngitis, but by this time, Peter was often unable to work because of the state of his throat. He contacted his union, the TSSA, who started legal proceedings in November 1995, after Peter was forced to retire through ill-health in 1994 at the age of 59. Peter had planned to work until he was 65 and then take a part-time position teaching at night school, but his throat problem meant that was out of the question. After various legal wrangles, Peter’s union was eventually able to secure him over £92,000 to make his retirement closer to the one he had previously planned for.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Case studies available for interview. The full Hazards article can be found at http://www.hazards.org/voiceloss/workhoarse.htm The October-December 2004 issue of Hazards is out now. For subscription inquiries or orders contact Jawad Qasrawi on 0114 235 2074 or email sub@hazards.org

Worksmart, the TUC’s working life website, contains further advice and guidance on how to avoid losing your voice at work http://www.worksmart.org.uk/health/viewsubsubsection.php?ssn=5

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Media enquiries : Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248; Pager: 07699 744115; E: media@tuc.org.uk

Press release (1,000 words) issued 19 Nov 2004