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[December 2005]
European Noise at Work Summit
European Union policymakers, social partners and leading health and safety experts met this week in Bilbao, Spain to see how better to protect European workers from noise and also to award those organisations that have already managed to implement effective solutions. As many as 60 million workers in the EU are considered to be exposed to excessive noise during their working hours.
The summit, jointly organised by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work and the UK Presidency of the European Union, was the culmination of this year's 'Stop that Noise!' campaign in 25 EU Member States as well as EFTA and candidate countries.
Vladimir Spidla, European Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Equal Opportunities, said at the summit: "Noise is a growing concern all over Europe, in workplaces from factories and farms, to entertainment and services. More than 13 million workers are reported to have suffered impaired hearing at work. And noise goes beyond hearing problems. It can cause accidents, voice loss and increase stress levels.
"The new EU directive, to be implemented in all Member States by mid February 2006, reduces the levels of noise to which workers can be exposed and requires employers to eliminate or reduce to a minimum the risks."
Noise-induced hearing loss is amongst the most commonly reported occupational diseases in the EU. It is also one of the most costly, with billions of euro a year paid in compensation and in indirect costs resulting from sick leave, lower productivity and accidents due to impaired communication because of noise.
http://ew2005.osha.eu.int
ENDS