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CODE OF PRACTICE

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH

IN CALL CENTRES

2005

CODE OF PRACTICE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH IN CALL CENTRES


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Foreword

The introduction o the Occupational Saety and Health Act 1984 (the Act) enabled the establishment o the

tripartite Commission or Occupational Saety and Health. The Commission, which comprises representativeso employers, unions and government, as well as experts, has the unction o developing the occupationalsaety and health legislation and supporting guidance material, and making recommendations to theMinister or their implementation. To ulfl its unctions, the Commission is empowered to establish advisorycommittees, hold public inquiries, and publish and disseminate inormation.

This code o practice has been developed through a tripartite consultative process and the views o theemployers and unions, along with those o government and experts, have been considered.

The Commissions objective is to promote comprehensive and practical preventive strategies that improve theworking environment o Western Australians.

The Occupational Saety and Health Act 1984

The Act provides or the promotion, coordination, administration and enorcement o occupational saetyand health in Western Australia.

The Act places certain duties on employers, employees, selemployed people, manuacturers, designers,importers and suppliers. It also places emphasis on the prevention o accidents and injury.

In addition to the broad duties established by the Act, the legislation is supported by a urther tier o statute,commonly reerred to as regulations, together with a lower tier o nonstatutory codes o practice andguidance notes.

Regulations

Regulations have the eect o spelling out specifc requirements o the legislation.

Regulations may prescribe minimum standards and have a general application, or they may defne specifcrequirements related to a particular hazard or particular type o work. They may also allow the licensing orgranting o approvals and certifcates etc.

Codes o practice

A code o practice is defned in the Act as a document prepared or the purpose o providing:

practical advice on preventive strategies; and

a practical means o achieving any code, standard, rule, provision or specifcation relating to occupationalsaety and health in Western Australia.

A code o practice may contain explanatory inormation. The preventive strategies outlined do not representthe only acceptable means o achieving a certain standard.

A code o practice does not have the same legal orce as a regulation and is not sucient reason, o itsel, orprosecution under the Act.

Guidance notes

A guidance note is an explanatory document providing detailed inormation on the requirements olegislation, regulations, standards, codes o practice or matters relating to occupational saety and health, asapproved by the Commission.

This publication is available on request in other ormats to assist people with special needs.


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Authority

On 24 April 2005, the Hon Minister or Consumer and Employment Protection approved the Code o Practice:

Occupational Saety and Health in Call Centres pursuant to Section 57 o the Occupational Saety and HealthAct 1984.

Scope

This code o practice applies to all workplaces in Western Australia covered by the Occupational Saety andHealth Act 1984. It provides guidance on occupational saety and health management in call centres. Thepractical guidance in this code o practice should be considered in conjunction with the general duties in theOccupational Saety and Health Act 1984.

Who should use this code o practice?

This code o practice has been developed by the Commission or Occupational Saety and Health to assistemployers, employees, people in control o workplaces and saety and health representatives to comply with theOccupational Saety and Health Act 1984 and the Occupational Saety and Health Regulations 1996.

Copyright

The Western Australian legislation is reproduced by permission o the copyright owner, the State o WesternAustralia. However, these versions are not ocial or authorised versions. Ocial copies can be purchased romthe State Law Publisher, 10 William Street, Perth [ Tel. 08 9321 7688].

The Occupational Saety and Health Act 1984 and Occupational Saety and Health Regulations 1996 can alsobe purchased rom WorkSae, Westcentre, 1260 Hay Street, West Perth [Tel. 1300 307 877].



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CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION ..........................................................................................................................................................................1

2. GENERAL DUTIES AT THE WORKPLACE..............................................................................................................................2

3. HAZARD IDENTIFICATION, RISK ASSESSMENT AND RISK CONTROL THE RISKMANAGEMENT PROCESS ........................................................................................................................................................4

3.1 An overview ..............................................................................................................................................................................4

3.2 Identiying hazards.................................................................................................................................................................4

3.3 Assessing and analysing risks.............................................................................................................................................5

3.4 Controlling risks.......................................................................................................................................................................7

3.5 Monitoring and review o control measures.................................................................................................................8

4. INSTRUCTION AND TRAINING...............................................................................................................................................9

5. WORKING ENVIRONMENT ................................................................................................................................................... 10

5.1 Workspace...............................................................................................................................................................................10

5.2 Electrical installations .........................................................................................................................................................11

5.3 Drinking water .......................................................................................................................................................................11

5.4 Air quality and environmental tobacco smoke..........................................................................................................11

5.5 Access and egress ................................................................................................................................................................12

5.6 Lighting ....................................................................................................................................................................................12

5.7 General acilities ...................................................................................................................................................................13

6. WORKSTATIONS AND WORK ORGANISATION .............................................................................................................. 14

6.1 Muscle and sot tissue injuries .........................................................................................................................................14

6.2 Workstation design and setup .........................................................................................................................................15

6.3 Work organisation.................................................................................................................................................................16

6.3.1 Workrelated stress...............................................................................................................................................................19

6.3.2 Threatening behaviours .....................................................................................................................................................22

7. FATIGUE ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 24

7.1 General atigue ......................................................................................................................................................................24

7.2 Vocal atigue ...........................................................................................................................................................................25

7.3 Visual atigue and visual display units...........................................................................................................................26

8. ACOUSTIC INCIDENTS AND NOISE CONTROL .............................................................................................................. 28

8.1 Acoustic incidents.................................................................................................................................................................28

8.2 Noise control...........................................................................................................................................................................31

9. HOTDESKING ............................................................................................................................................................................ 32

10. HEADSET HYGIENE ................................................................................................................................................................. 33

11. EMERGENCY PROCEDURES ................................................................................................................................................. 34

CONTINUED OVER >


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CONTENTS CONTD

APPENDIX 1: OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION.......................................................................................................... 35

APPENDIX 2: LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY ANDHEALTH IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA ............................................................................................................... 37

APPENDIX 3: ACTS AND REGULATIONS REFERENCED IN THIS CODE OF PRACTICE........................................... 39

APPENDIX 4: POSITIONING OF EQUIPMENT ..................................................................................................................... 49

APPENDIX 5: CHECKLIST OF SAFETY AND HEALTH ISSUES ......................................................................................... 52

SURVEY OF USERS OF THIS CODE OF PRACTICE.................................................................................................................... 55


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1. INTRODUCTION

The call centre industry is one o the astest growing industries in Australia. Employees are usually casualworkers and mostly women.

The aim o this code o practice is to help employers and employees address occupational saety and healthissues related to call centre work. It recommends ways in which saety and health hazards commonlyassociated with call centre work can be addressed in accordance with the Occupational Saety and Health Act1984 (reerred to in this document as the Act), the Occupational Saety and Health Regulations 1996 (reerredto in this document as the Regulations) and other relevant Commission or Occupational Saety and Health(reerred to in this document as the Commission) codes o practice and standards.

The Act and the regulations should be read in conjunction with this code o practice.

What is a call centre?

A call centre is any workplace where the main work o employees is providing customer services by telephoneor by a combination o telephone and computer.

The term usually reers to organisations that employ teams o people on shit work to provide or obtaininormation.

Call centre work may include:

work where the primary role is to respond to telephone and other electronic requests such as emails romclients;

work where employees are engaged to call up or answer large volumes o phone trac or electronicrequests;

telemarketing work;

help desk, contact centre or hotline work;

switchboard operation;

work rom home; and

workplaces that are part o a collective call centre service.

Oten the call centre is not directly associated with the business or which the customer services are provided.

Who are call centre employees?

In the context o this code o practice, the term employee reers to employees whose main work is providingcustomer service through the use o a telephone or a combination o telephone and computer.

This defnition includes employees whose workplaces are solely call centres, as well as employees who do callcentre work within businesses. In many cases, a receptionist may do call centre work.

This code does not automatically include employees who work at a telephone and computer workstation, onlythose who are involved in specifc call centre work.

This code o practice may also be useul or employees who do call centre work rom home.

See Appendix2 or urtherexplanation onthe legislation.


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Consultation

Consultation and cooperation between employers and employees are the keys to providing and maintaining a

sae and healthy workplace.

Employers are required to consult with saety and health representatives (i any) and employees on saety andhealth matters.

Employer and employee involvement in the process o identiying hazards and assessing and controlling therisks will help to ensure that:

the risks rom hazards are identifed because employees are most likely to know about risks associated withtheir work;

employees have a commitment to this process and any changes, such as implemented control measures;and

injuries and incidents are eliminated or minimised.

Although the Act does not set ormal means or consultation at the workplace, it does have provisions or saetyand health representatives at the workplace.

These provisions in the Act address the unctions and elections o saety and health representatives, employeeseligibility to be saety and health representatives, and the ormation o workplace saety and health committeeswith employee and employer representatives.

Further inormation

The Commissions Guidance note: Election o saety and health representatives, representatives and committeesand resolution o issues, available on the internet at www.worksae.wa.gov.au, and rom WorkSae.

The Commissions Guidance note: General duty o care in Western Australian workplaces, available on theinternet at www.worksae.wa.gov.au, and rom WorkSae.

See Appendix 3Section 19(1)(c)o the Act


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3. HAZARD IDENTIFICATION, RISK ASSESSMENT AND RISK

CONTROL THE RISK MANAGEMENT PROCESS

3.1 AN OVERVIEW

Employers have a duty to ensure, as ar as practicable, that employees are not exposed to hazards at theworkplace.

There is a specifc requirement or employers to carry out a risk management process. It involves a threestepprocess to:

identiy hazards;

assess risks; and

control risks.To assist in carrying out the risk management process, consideration should be given to:

previous injuries, near miss incidents or accidents which have occurred at the workplace or other similarworkplaces;

relevant codes o practice and guidance notes;

consultation with employees, saety and health representatives (i any) and saety and health committees tofnd out any problems associated with perorming tasks or jobs;

encouraging employees to report workrelated injury or illness symptoms;

walkthrough inspections o the workplace. Consider using checklists; and

records or statistics that could indicate potentially unsae work practices.

3.2 IDENTIFYING HAZARDS

The frst step in the risk management process is identiying hazards. This involves recognising items that maycause injury or harm to the health o people.

There are a number o ways to identiy items or potential situations that may cause an injury or harm. Choosingan appropriate process or procedure or identiying hazards will depend on the nature o the work environmentand hazards involved.

Hazard identifcation processes or procedures may include:

developing a hazard checklist;

examining records o past incidents and injuries at the workplace;

examining data or similar workplaces;

carrying out inspections o the workplace (consider using checklists);

consulting relevant codes o practice and guidance notes;

encouraging employees to report workrelated symptoms;

consulting employees and saety and health representatives and committees (i any); and

talking to industry associations and other similar businesses.

ee Appendix 3Regulation 3.1


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A hazard identifcation process or procedure may range rom simple checklists or specifc equipment, such asworkstations, to a more openended appraisal o a group o related work processes. Generally, a combination omethods will provide the most eective results.

Table 1 Common hazards at call centres

The saety and health hazards at call centres may include (but are not limited to):

an inadequate physical working environment increasing the risk o injury or harm;

inadequate workstations increasing the risk o muscle and sot tissue injuries;

inadequate work organisation increasing the risk o muscle and sot tissue injuries, as well asworkrelated stress symptoms and atigue including vocal and visual atigue;

acoustic incidents and background noise increasing the risk o an acoustic injury occurring; and

inadequate headset hygiene increasing the risk o inection.

These hazards can be associated with overcrowding, poor workstation design, nonadjustment oworkstations to suit the individual, repetitive work, work overload (such as when demand suddenlyincreases), insucient time out, abusive customers, long spread o hours, aulty telephone equipment,hotdesking and sharing headsets.

3.3 ASSESSING AND ANALYSING RISKS

The second step in the risk management process is assessing the risks o injury or harm occurring. This involveslooking at the chance or likelihood o a hazard occurring and, i it does occur, the extent o any harm or injury (ie

the consequences).

This is a way o deciding which hazards need to be addressed frst (ie where there is the highest risk o injury orharm).

This step should provide inormation on:

where, which and how many employees are likely to be at risk o incurring injuries;

how oten this is likely to occur; and

the potential severity o any injuries.

Risk assessment is not an absolute science it is a best estimate on the basis o available inormation.Thereore, it is important that the person undertaking a risk assessment has either the necessary inormation,

knowledge and experience o the work environment and work process or such a person is involved in the riskassessment process.

In carrying out a risk assessment, it is necessary to break down each activity or process into a series o parts orsmaller tasks and assess each one separately.

Table 2 Inormation or risk assessments

Ways to determine the likelihood and potential consequences o each hazard include:

looking at other similar workplaces or similar processes;

looking at the workplaces previous incident and injury reports and data or call centres;

consulting with employees and saety and health representatives (i any);

Risk, in relationto any injuryand harm,means theprobability othat injury orharm occurring.


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looking at the way tasks and jobs are perormed;

looking at the way the work is organised; determining the size and layout o the workplace;

assessing the physical environment;

assessing the number and movement o all people at the workplace;

determining the type o operation to be perormed;

identiying the type o equipment to be used;

assessing adequacy o inspection and maintenance processes;

examining the way all materials are handled;

assessing what knowledge and training is needed to perorm tasks saely and the adequacy o currentknowledge and training (eg gap analysis);

examining adequacy o procedures or all potential emergency situations; and

looking at a possible interrelationship o actors which might increase a risk.


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3.4 CONTROLLING RISKS

The third step is to implement control measures to eliminate or reduce the risk o people being injured or harmedand ensure the measures are monitored and reviewed on an ongoing basis.

There is a preerred order o control measures ranging rom the most eective to the least eective in eliminatingor reducing the risks o injury or harm. This is outlined in the ollowing table.

Table 3 Preerred order o control measures to eliminate or reduce the risko injury or harm

1. Elimination removing the hazard or hazardous work practice rom the workplace.For example:

modiying workstation design;

modiying work organisation with task analysis and job redesign; modiying work shits;

replacing aulty equipment; and

preventing mobile phones being used inside the centre.

2. Substitution substituting or replacing a hazard or hazardous work practice with aless hazardous one. For example, replacing equipment and workstations with betterdesigned ones.

3. Isolation isolating or separating the hazard or hazardous work practice rom peopleinvolved in the work or people in the general work area. For example:

locating ax machines in specifcally designated areas away rom employees; and

ensuring noisy work areas, such as printers and photocopiers, are located awayrom employees.

4. Engineering controls i the hazard cannot be eliminated, substituted or isolated,an engineering control is the next preerred measure. For example:

repairing and maintaining equipment;

promptly repairing network aults;

installing acoustic shock prevention devices in telephone sets;

reducing background noise levels;

providing more space between operators/operator groups or installing acousticbarriers; and

adjusting lighting to reduce glare.

5. Administrative controls this includes introducing work practices that reduce therisk, such as implementing measures to ensure procedures, instruction and training areprovided, or example:

implementing acoustic incident reporting and action plans;

implementing or improving customer contact and dispute resolution procedures; and

implementing job rotation.

In some instances, a combination o control measures may be appropriate.

Other means o reducing the risk

Other means o reducing the risk may be more appropriate to a particular case than the ones mentioned in thissection and throughout the document, i they can eliminate or reduce the risk o injury or harm.

In all cases, the three basic steps o hazard identifcation, risk assessment and risk control must be carried out.

Most

eective

control

measure

Leasteectivecontrol

measure


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3.5 MONITORING AND REVIEW OF CONTROL MEASURES

Deciding on and implementing a risk control measure is not the end o the risk management process. It isimportant to constantly monitor and review control measures to ensure they continue to prevent or controlexposure to hazards or hazardous work practices.

A risk management process should be conducted as an ongoing process because workplaces are usuallyconstantly changing environments with new hazards being introduced; or example, when new equipment isintroduced or the work environment or standards are changed.

In determining the requency o the monitoring and review processes, consider such things as:

the level o risk (highrisk hazards need more requent assessments); and

the type o work practice or plant involved (there may be particular stages in the lie o a piece o equipmentwhere more requent assessments are appropriate).

Each workplace should:

have a planned program o inspections and maintenance;

undertake a review each time the work environment changes; and

regularly review the process or hazard identifcation, risk assessment and risk control to ensure it is eective.

Maintenance o equipment

Maintenance and repair programs should be reviewed regularly to ensure their eectiveness. Perormancetesting and evaluation standards should be established.

Incorporating the manuacturers recommendations, repair and maintenance programs should speciy:

where servicing is required; the extent o servicing required;

the nature o the servicing required;

the requency o servicing;

who is responsible or maintaining repair and maintenance programs; and

how deects will be corrected.

In order to keep accurate maintenance records, a recording or reporting system should be developed,implemented and maintained.


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4. INSTRUCTION AND TRAINING

Employers must provide proper saety and health instruction and training to employees.Instruction and training are an important part o ensuring sae systems o work and should take into account theunctions o each employee and provide them with the necessary skills and knowledge to enable them to dotheir work saely.

The type o instruction and training given should include:

general saety and health induction, including the duty o care responsibilities under the Act and Regulationsand workplace policies and procedures;

task specifc induction;

on the job training;

in house training programs designed to address specifc needs (such as specifc training or adjusting the

workstation and hotdesking work); and

industrybased or ormal training (such as accredited or certifcated courses).

Training programs

In developing and implementing an eective training program, employers should include:

analysis o training needs, including the identifcation o the tasks to be perormed and associated hazards and risks;

identifcation o any prerequisites or entry standards;

defnition o learning objectives and clear identifcation o the extent/level o competencies to be achieved(ie what will be covered in the training);

selection o appropriate training aids depending on the environment and the targeted trainees(such as the use o hardware, graphics, videos and printed materials);

adequate assessment (such as including a practical component where the trainee has to demonstrate applied skills);

recognition o skills attained where applicable (such as accreditation or certifcation);

delivery o training by a competent person; and

evaluation o the eectiveness o the training.

Induction

Induction programs are essential:

or new employees; when work situations have changed; and

when work practices are being introduced or the frst time.

In addition to providing general saety and health inormation, an induction should include:

on the job training including, or example, how to carry out a job or task in a sae manner and not beexposed to injuries;

inormation on the hazards and risks at the workplace; and

emergency procedures.

Further training

Employees may need urther training when:

new methods, equipment, hazards, policies or procedures are introduced;

the type o operation or environment changes; or

the particular requirements o a job change.


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5. WORKING ENVIRONMENT

Providing workplace amenities is an integral part o the employers general duty o care.Workplace amenities are the acilities provided or the welare o employees while they are at work. They include(but are not limited to):

workspace;

drinking water;

air quality and temperature controls;

access and egress or all employees including those with a disability;

lighting;

wash basins;

toilets;

change rooms;

dining acilities; and

seating.

There are minimum requirements or the provision o workplace amenities, which employers must meet.This section outlines some o these requirements. The Commissions Codes o practice: First aid acilitiesand services, workplace amenities and acilities, and personal protective clothing and equipment should beconsulted or urther inormation.

The Building Code o Australia (BCA) should also be consulted as it is recognised in Western Australia asthe minimum regulatory standards to be met or buildings. It contains technical provisions or the design and

construction o buildings, including structure, access, services and equipment, and some aspects o health andamenities.

5.1 WORKSPACE

The number o people working in a building and the way in which they are grouped must be considered andarranged to prevent risk to their saety and health.

Overcrowding can interere with ree movement o people, obstruct access to emergency exits, causebackground noise and interrupt work perormance.

People must be able to move reely to and rom amenities or other work areas where they may be required,without strain or risk o collision.

The space required or any particular job should be based on a risk assessment that takes into account:

the task;

the physical actions needed to perorm the task;

the need to move around while working;

access to and egress rom the workstation and room to push the chair back; and

the equipment and/or materials to be handled.

The space should allow or the ull range o movements required to do each job. Employees should be able tomove without strain or knocking against urniture or equipment.

Depending on the building type, a range o workstation confgurations can assist in eective management oworkspace in call centres, such as lowdensity workstation clusters with plenty o room between the clusters.

This code opractice is

available atwww.worksae.wa.gov.au androm WorkSae

See Appendix 3Regulations 3.6

nd 3.14

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5.2 ELECTRICAL INSTALLATIONS

Sae electrical installations must be provided in call centres to minimise the risk o electrical shock or fre.

In addition:

portable electrical equipment must be protected against earth leakage current by a residual current device(RCD);

people having control o the workplace are required to install nonportable type RCDs either by installingthem at the switchboard or in a fxed socket outlet.

Where nonportable RCDs are ftted to a switchboard, the work should be carried out by an electrician; and

cords should be placed away rom walkways and oot contact to prevent mechanical damage and slips andtrips.

Further inormation

Saety priorities or electricity in the workplace, available on the internet at www.worksae.wa.gov.au

WorkSae smart move: General module: Electricity, available on the internet at www.worksae.wa.gov.au

the Commissions Guidance note: Electricity: Residual current devices, available on the internet atwww.worksae.wa.gov.au

5.3 DRINKING WATER

An adequate supply o clean drinking water must be provided and be readily accessible to employees. Its

temperature should be below 24 degrees.

5.4 AIR QUALITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL TOBACCO SMOKE

Employers must ensure employees are not exposed to an oxygendefcient or toxic atmosphere.

Adequate ventilation, through airconditioning systems or natural ventilation, should be provided to ensure:

the air conditioning or air exchange is adequate or the number o employees; and

umes and oreign odours, rom a range o sources such as new urniture and fttings and perumes, areremoved.

Thermal comort, with temperature and humidity control, must be provided to enable employees to work in a

comortable environment.Smoking is prohibited in enclosed workplaces, including call centres.

Further inormation

The Commissions Codes o practice: First aid acilities and services, workplace amenities and acilities,personal protective clothing and equipment contains urther inormation on air quality, air temperature andthe provision o air conditioning systems and natural ventilation. It is available on the internet atwww.worksae.wa.gov.au and rom WorkSae.

The National Occupational Health and Saety Commissions, Guidance note on the elimination oenvironmental tobacco smoke in the workplace [NOHSC: 3019(2003)]. This has been adopted by the

Commission as a Western Australian guidance note, subject to a modifcation to Section 7. It is available onthe internet at www.worksae.wa.gov.au

See Appendix 3Regulations 3.59and 3.60

See Appendix 3Regulations 3.37,3.38 and 3.39

See Appendix 3Regulations 3.15,3.44A, 3.44B

and 3.44C

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5.5 ACCESS AND EGRESS

The employer or person having control o access to the workplace must ensure, where practicable, that:

the means o access to and egress rom the workplace enable people to move saely to and rom theworkplace and are kept ree o obstructions; and

the emergency exits enable sae exit in emergencies.

In addition to these minimum requirements set by the Regulations, the Building Code o Australia (BCA) alsosets regulatory building standards to be met or exits (in D1 Provision or Escape), including the maximumtravel distance to exits.

Employers should also ensure secure night access to and rom the workplace or shit workers. This may includeproviding adequate lighting, building security and parking, where appropriate.

5.6 LIGHTINGEmployees must be provided with lighting appropriate or the nature o the work and the work location.

The lighting should allow employees to carry out their work eectively and move saely without risk o accidentor injury.

Poor lighting may lead to employees adopting awkward positions at the workstation increasing the risk omuscle and sot tissue injuries; or example, i there are diculties in reading the screens, employees might becontinually leaning orward to read them.

Factors to consider when providing lighting include:

the nature o the work activity;

the work environment; illumination levels (both natural and artifcial light);

glare;

contrast; and

reections.

Control measures

Possible control measures to implement include:

providing lighting appropriate or the nature o the work and the work location;

ensuring lighting is bright enough or employees to read guidance material during calls, but sotenough to not cause eye strain rom shadows or glare on computer screens; and

ftting windows with blinds and positioning internal lighting to minimise screen glare orreections, where necessary.

See Appendix 3Regulations 3.7

and 3.8

ee also Section3 Visual atigue

and VDUs

See alsoAppendix 4

Positioning oequipment


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Screenbased workstations

The lighting in the vicinity o screenbased workstations should be designed and maintained in accordance with

Australian Standard, AS 1680.2.2 Interior lighting Oce and screenbased tasks.

O the various actors that aect the quality o lighting in a screenbased environment, the illuminance can bereadily checked against the values set out in the ollowing table.

Table 4 Minimum illuminance (lux) (supply o lighting) or screenbased work

Task area Illuminance (lux)*

Keyboard 160240

Reerence material: (a) Good, simple 240

(b) Average, detail 320

(c) Poor, fne detail 600

Background/environment 160

*The illuminance produced by light fttings decreases with age. This is due to ageing o the lamps, as well asbuild up o dirt on the light fttings and reective suraces etc. For this reason, the lighting levels recommendedare the levels below which the lamps and optical suraces o the lighting unit should be serviced.

Note: This table is based on inormation in the Australian Standard, AS 1680.2.2 Interior lighting Oce and screenbasedtasks. Permission to reprint the inormation has been provided by SAI Global Ltd. The standard can be purchased online atwww.saiglobal.com or by writing to Customer Service Centre, SAI Global Ltd., 286 Sussex Street, Sydney, NSW 2000.

Note that actors additional to illuminance levels, such as the colour rendering o the lamps used, the contrast

ratio between adjacent illuminated suraces and excessive glare, can also signifcantly aect the users comort.

Further inormation

The Building Code o Australia (BCA) should be reerred to or the regulatory requirements or lighting withinbuildings. For more details reer to the internet site at www.abcb.gov.au

Inormation on lighting is also available at www.worksae.wa.gov.au

5.7 GENERAL FACILITIES

Employers must ensure that all employees have access to toilet acilities and wash basins and they are readilyaccessible.

Comortable meal and break out (time out) areas should be provided with sucient seating and tables.

Further inormation

The Commissions Codes o practice: First aid acilities and services, workplace amenities and acilities, personalprotective clothing and equipment contains urther inormation on workplace acilities. It is available on theinternet at www.worksae.wa.gov.au and rom WorkSae.

See alsoSection 7.3Visual atigueand VDUs


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6. WORKSTATIONS AND WORK ORGANISATION

6.1 MUSCLE AND SOFT TISSUE INJURIES

Call centre employees may be at risk o developing musculoskeletal disorders, such as sot tissue injuries to theneck, shoulders, back, wrists and hands.

These disorders are commonly grouped under the term occupational overuse syndrome (OOS) and arise romwork that involves maintenance o constrained, static or awkward postures and/or repetitive and/or orceulmovements. Further explanation on OOS is provided in the National code o practice or the prevention ooccupational overuse syndrome [NOHSC: 2013(1994)].

Work is considered repetitive when, or example:

the completion o a task takes less than 30 seconds and the task is perormed continuously or a minimum

o 60 minutes; and/or a main part o a work task is repeated or more than 50 per cent o the time it takes to complete the whole

task; or example, when an employee enters data during a phone call, the data entry activity is perormed ormore than 50 per cent o the time taken to complete the whole task.

The duration o a task can have a substantial eect on the likelihood o both muscle strain and atigue. Durationmeans the length o time a worker takes to complete a task.

Where highly repetitive work is perormed or a total o our hours during an eighthour shit, it is considered ohigh duration and should be subject to specifc control measures. These are listed in Section 6.3.

Table 5 Identiy and assess occupational overuse syndrome (OOS)

Identiy OOS hazards by:

identiying actors which lead to muscle tension,increasing the risk o injuries;

consulting employees when identiying actors anddeveloping priorities or assessment;

encouraging employees to report repetitive,uncomortable or static tasks;

encouraging employees to report workrelatedmuscular strain symptoms;

checking injury and absentee records; and direct observation.

Assess OOS risk actors by:

checking the workstation layouts;

checking the working postures;

examining the duration and requency o activities;

examining the orces applied;

reviewing the work organisation;

reviewing employees skills and experiences;

reviewing individual actors particular to the tasks

and/or workplace; and consulting with employees when developing risk

assessment methods.

This code opractice is

an approvedWestern

Australian codeo practice

under the Act.It is available

at www.nohsc.gov.au


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6.2 WORKSTATION DESIGN AND SETUP

Wellplanned design and layout o the workstation, displays and control instruments will make work easier andreduce the risk o postural and visual strain arising rom adoption o awkward postures.

The shape and adjustability o a workstation inuences the postures adopted. Additionally, the location and typeo equipment used at the workstation inuences the range o movements perormed.

The design and setup o a workstation should be directed by the range o employees who use it, the tasks theyperorm, and the type o equipment to be accommodated.

Control measures


reviewing workstation and equipment design (including displays and controls);

Workstation design should be aimed at providing comortable and varied working postures, particularlywhere there is a need to repeat the task continuously or to maintain fxed postures or long periods.

Table 6 Workstation design

As a general rule, work activities, equipment, controls, work items, documents and materials, whichare most important, most requently used or require rapid hand movements, should be in ront o theemployee and within easy reach to minimise stretching and twisting.

Workstation equipment, such as urniture and keyboards, should be adjustable to suit the ull rangeo physical characteristics o individual employees. Employees must be able to adopt a sae workingposture.

Displays and control instruments should have appropriate design, selection, arrangement andlabelling so that employees are able to operate equipment saely and maintain correct posture.

Displays should be placed where they can be easily seen.

Poor lighting should be corrected, as it may lead to employees adopting awkward positions at theworkstation, increasing the risk o muscle and sot tissue injuries. For example, i there are dicultiesreading the screens, employees might be continually leaning orward.

Sucient surace area on the workstation or equipment and documents should be provided.

providing adjustable workstations;

Workstations (desk, chair and, where required, a ootstool) should be adjustable to suit the task demands,

the body dimensions and personal needs and, where hotdesking and shitwork is carried out, allow or useby dierent employees.

In most instances, a fxed height desk plus an adjustable chair and a ootstool should be acceptable.However, in some situations (such as when the employee works rom dierent points along theworkstation) an adjustable or partially adjustable height desk may be necessary.

ensuring employees adjust the workstation and equipment beore starting work;

The risk o muscular injuries may increase i employees cannot or do not adjust workstation equipmentto suit the task demands and their body dimensions and personal needs beore starting work. Withhotdesking, employees may simply orget to adjust urniture ater a move because o work pressure, lacko training and inormation, or i they are distracted.

Adequate time must be provided so employees can make adjustments to the urniture beore startingwork.

Adequate inormation, instruction and training on adjusting workstations must also be provided to ensureemployees know how to adjust urniture and do so beore starting work.

See also

Appendix 4Positioning oequipment


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Additional means o implementing this control measure include:

providing adequate supervision;

or hotdesking, allowing adequate time to set up workstation and make adjustments beore startingwork; and

providing screen prompts on adjusting workstation or employees starting a work shit.

encouraging employees to vary activities and postures, rather than remaining in a prolongedstatic position at the workstation;

For example, a tray containing new work could be placed on a table away rom the workstation so anemployee must walk to get the work.

taking into account individual actors when designing work or an individual employee; and

Employees will have dierent body shapes and sizes, as well as dierent capabilities, preerences anddisabilities. As ar as practicable, employers should provide workstations, work tasks and work conditionsthat are most suited to an employees physical capabilities.

ongoing review and maintenance o equipment.

Checks o equipment, including computers, urniture, displays and controls, should be carried out regularlyto ensure employees are not working in unsae situations due to aulty equipment.

Employees should be encouraged to report aulty equipment so they can be replaced or repaired.

Further inormation

National code o practice or the prevention o occupational overuse syndrome [NOHSC: 2013(1994)],available on the internet at www.nohsc.gov.au. This is an approved code o practice under the Act.

Ergonomic principles and checklists or the selection o oce urniture and equipment (1991), available onthe internet at www.nohsc.gov.au

Appendix 4 Positioning o equipment at the back o this code.

6.3 WORK ORGANISATION

I work is organised in such a way that there are long work periods doing uncomortable or repetitive workwithout breaks then the risk o employees developing muscle and sot tissue injuries may increase.

Modiying tasks should be considered as a preventative measure to eliminate or reduce the risk o employeesdeveloping these injuries, as well as changing or reducing possible causes o workrelated stress.

Job design should include variety and exibility, where possible, to promote job satisaction and motivation andincrease morale. Symptoms o stress may arise i employees experience little scope or control o the work andmonotonous and/or demanding work.

The aim o eective work organisation is to take into account all the actors that aect the work and to designand arrange work content and tasks so the whole job is without likely risk to the saety or health o employees.

Work organisation risk actors can include:

unrealistic targets;

excessive perormance monitoring and monetary incentives or increased output, such as bonus and piecerate systems;

meeting tight deadlines and peak demands, which can increase time pressures;

lack o control over workow;

inrequent or insucient time out breaks;

hotdesking work; and

an inadequate time period to adjust to the job.

See also theollowing

ection on workrelated stress


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Table 7 Reviewing the way the work is organised

Consider:

the required output and/or the urgency o deadlines;

the duration and limited variation o tasks;

the combination o repetitive tasks which involve the same movements; and

the number and duration o work breaks.

Control measures


designing jobs to include, where possible, variation and exibility;

Design jobs to include, or example:

work variation, rotation and/or duties not involving telephone use;

tasks that require a wider range o body movements when programs involve limited repetitive hand andarm movements;

some exibility in place o set telephone scripts; and

regular breaks or time out with the exibility to take breaks, including toilet breaks, as required.

Job design should aim at not allocating similar tasks consecutively.

where practicable, organisation o the work so employees are able to regulate their tasks to meetwork demands;

providing adequate inormation, instruction, training (including jobspecifc training) and

supervision;

Inormation, instruction, training and supervision must be provided to ensure the risks rom OOS areeliminated or reduced.

Training should be jobspecifc. In particular, it should address how the employee should organise thework, including the appropriate pauses and timeout periods to be taken. Short, requent breaks are betterthan longer, less requent breaks.

providing userriendly sotware;

For example, providing sotware that requires ewer key strokes or mouse movements to perorm actionsto minimise static and repetitive movements.


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providing adequate rest breaks or purposes o changing posture and taking breaks romrepetitive keying and voice use;

Table 8 Breaks rom repetitive work

Ensure operators take breaks rom requent keying. These should be taken every hour. The arrangementcan be exible; or example, the options* or breaks could be as ollows:

twothree minutes in each 1520 minutes;

fve minutes in each 30 minutes; or

10 minutes in each hour.

Other alternatives, suitable to the workplace, should be developed in consultation with sta.

Nonrepetitive work could be perormed during these breaks, although it should not involve requent orrapid movements o the hands or fngers.

*This inormation is based on recommendations in the WorkSae document, Saetyline essentials: Manual handling Occupational

overuse syndrome keyboard operators: Reducing the risk (available at www.worksae.wa.gov.au), which contains additional

recommendations or keyboard work.

encouraging the early reporting o any symptoms o OOS;

initiating work assessment and reorganising tasks when an operator reports symptoms o OOS;

providing screen prompts on sae work practices;

providing a suitable period o adjustment;

For example, beore allocating a ull workload o keyboard duties, allowing an adjustment period oremployees new to keyboard work or returning rom extended absences.

developing specifc policies and procedures or shit work; and

Issues that may arise rom shit work and contribute to workrelated stress include atigue, domestic andsocial diculties and personal saety.

Means o implementing this control measure include:

training both management and sta to identiy and manage the common health eects rom shit work;

providing some exibility in working arrangements so sta are able to deal with temporary domestic andsocial diculties;

consultation between sta and supervisors when changing rosters; designing night shit tasks to include, where possible, activity, interaction with other employees and

breaks to help maintain alertness; and

providing reasonable advance notice o shit rosters.

developing clear policies on perormance monitoring.

Perormance targets and perormance monitoring can raise stress levels i aimed at increasing outputwithout considering the capacity o employees and the adequacy and saety o the call centre system.

Targets should be set in consultation with employees and saety and health representatives (i any),taking into consideration workplace changes and demands. Ideally, targets should ocus on quality ratherthan quantitybased goals, such as aiming to improve customer relations and reducing the potential or

complaints.

See also Section7 Fatigue

18



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Electronic perormance monitoring (EPM)

EPM records the minutebyminute details o work activities or listensin on client calls and is used both as a

training tool and or perormance assessment.

Where EPM is used:

consultation should occur between employer and employees about the system o monitoring to be used;

supervisors who are listening in should be seated next to or near the employee and providing verbaleedback;

supervisors should also provide constructive recognition o good perormance and regular eedback on eachoperators perormance;

employees should be provided with training i they are not meeting targets; and

supervisors and employers should communicate what the outcome will be i targets are not met.

Further inormation

National code o practice or the prevention o occupational overuse syndrome [NOHSC: 2013(1994)]. This is anapproved code o practice under the Act.

6.3.1 WORK-RELATED STRESS

Workrelated stress is experienced when the demands o the work environment exceed the employees abilityto cope with (or control) them.

Stress is not a disease, but i it is intense and goes on or some time, it can lead to mental and physical illhealth. Being under pressure can improve perormance and give satisaction when challenging objectives areachieved. But when demand and pressure become too much, they lead to stress. And this is bad or workersand or their organisations.1

In call centres, workplace issues, such as unreasonable perormance demands (or example, pressure toincrease the rate o successul calls), lack o training, excessive or inappropriate monitoring, repetitive ormonotonous work, aggressive clients and bullying, are reportedly actors contributing to symptoms o stress.

People respond to pressures and demands dierently. What is stressul or one person may not be a problem orsomeone else. The eects o workrelated stress will also vary.

Some eects may have longterm implications or psychological and physical health and wellbeing, such asheadaches, sleep disorders, chronic atigue and psychological problems (or example, poor concentration,

suppressed anger, anxiety, depression, dependencies, errorproneness and apathy). Stress can also be a actorin other conditions such as OOS and acoustic shock.

Even though a persons overall stress condition may be explained by both work and nonwork actors, it isrecommended that the ocus at the workplace be on implementing preventative measures.

19


1. This defnition is rom: European Agency or Saety and Health at Work (2002). Workrelated stress. Facts 22


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Preventative measures

Rather than explaining stress with simple causeandeect actors, it can be explained as a combination o

three actors: stressors (the origins o stress), a persons makeup and an eect, as the ollowing diagramillustrates.

The preventative measures should address these three actors and include, or example:

designing jobs to eliminate or reduce the stressors where possible;

Symptoms o stress may arise rom experiencing little scope or control and monotonous and/ordemanding work.

Modiying tasks should be considered as a preventative measure to change or reduce possible causes oworkrelated stress.

Job design should aim to:

provide variation and exibility, where possible, to promote job satisaction and motivation and increasemorale. Reer to Section 6.3 or more inormation on work organisation;

ensure hotdesking is managed saely. Reer to Section 9 or more inormation; and

include specifc policies and procedures or shit work. Reer to Section 7 Fatigue or more inormation.

providing training in job and stress management skills to enable employees to deal withperormance demands; and

Training in job and stress management skills should enable employees to develop the skills and knowledgeto better deal with situations encountered and enable recovery rom demanding ones.

As a preventative measure or stress management, the aim o training should be to improve the ability to:

clearly communicate to clients;

deal with dicult client behaviour;

deuse and manage situations where there is potential or diculties; and

deal with clients behaviour when changes in business policy cause negative reactions.

2. Diagram is based on: Eatt, Ross (2002). The origins o stress model. Davidson Trahaire (WA) Pty Ltd, Subiaco, WA

The actors o stress2

Stressors

These are actorsthat may contributeto stress. They caninclude unrealisticperormancedemands and

expectations, ahigh demand/low controlenvironment,work overload,hostile customers,bullying and otheractors outside theworkplace.

which pass through

A personsmakeup

This is a personsindividual set o

values, belies,expectations,personality,traits, history,experiences, skills,habit (script) andcomort zone etc.

resulting in

An eect

These are reactionssuch as anger, hurt,rustration, anxietyand chronic atigue.


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providing a supportive management and work environment.

Work that includes excessive close monitoring and unreasonable perormance demands may contribute to

low job satisaction and workrelated stress.

Fostering a supportive work environment and team spirit may help promote job satisaction.

Consider the ollowing control measures as possible measures to implement to improve the work environment:

developing customer contact procedures;

Procedures should be developed in consultation with employees and saety and health representatives(i any) and include procedures or:

call transer;

dealing with dicult customers (reer also to the ollowing section on threatening behaviours);

reporting o any issues that arise;

where appropriate, adequate timeout periods when contact with dicult customers causes tensionand/or distress;

debriefng sessions ollowing dicult calls; and

ollowup by supervisory sta on any issues arising.

consultation with employees;

Consultation between employer and employees and saety and health representatives (i any) must takeplace to develop and implement sae work procedures. This may include providing:

opportunities or all employees to participate in the development o workplace policy and procedures;

clear defnition o duties;

adequate opportunities or employees to provide eedback on workplace issues; and

conict resolution procedures in which grievances and conict are treated seriously, objectively andpromptly.

setting realistic and attainable perormance measurement targets;

For urther inormation, reer to Section 6.3.

developing clear policies on perormance monitoring; and

For urther inormation, reer to Section 6.3.

addressing working environment issues.

In relation to workrelated stress, working environment issues to address include:

ensuring workplace amenities are adequate; and

addressing security issues particularly or the saety o shit workers who arrive or leave the workplaceoutside o standard business hours.

Further inormation

Sprigg, Christine A., Smith, Phoebe R., Jackson, Paul R. (2003). Psychosocial risk actors in call centres: Anevaluation o work design and wellbeing. Health and Saety Executive Research Report 169, available on theinternet at www.hse.gov.uk

Inormation on workrelated stress is also available on the internet at www.worksae.wa.gov.au

See also Section5 Workingenvironmentand theollowingsection onthreateningbehaviours.


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6.3.2 THREATENING BEHAVIOURS

The employers general duty o care to provide and maintain a working environment where employees are notexposed to hazards applies to the risks o injury or harm rom workplace violence and bullying in the same way itapplies to other hazards.

Behaviour hazards may include:

workplace violence (ie an action or incident that physically or psychologically harms another person);

the threat o injury or harm through physical attack;

harassment rom coworkers, supervisors, customers or outsiders. Harassment may be sexual, racial,religious, political, abusive or involve bullying; and

bullying rom coworkers, customers or outsiders, either at the workplace or when arriving or leaving it.Workplace bullying is repeated inappropriate behaviour, direct or indirect, whether verbal, physical orotherwise, conducted by one or more people against another or others at the place o work and/or in thecourse o employment, which could reasonably be regarded as undermining an employees right to dignity atwork.

Employers must implement measures to ensure the protection and security o workers against physical orpsychological injury or harm rom violent, threatening and abusive behaviours.

Control measures


developing a policy and procedure or the prevention and management o violence and bullying;

These should address incidents o harassment, physical violence, threatening behaviour and bullying and

include: procedures or identiying security hazards and assessing and controlling the risks; and

procedures or reporting and ollowup o incidents.

providing inormation and training to all employees on the above policy and procedures;

Inormation and training should identiy unacceptable bullying behaviours and appropriate behaviour at theworkplace.

providing adequate supervision;

providing break out (time out) acilities;

involving the Western Australia Police Service where physical harm or, in some cases, threat o

physical harm occurs; and addressing the saety o those working outside standard business hours.

This should include:

providing sae lighting or workers arriving and departing at night;

providing sae access to toilet and washroom amenities;

providing sae parking arrangements, where practicable. This could include installing secure perimetersaround the car park;

instructing sta to park close to building exits and leave in pairs; and

where necessary, providing security escorts or those leaving the workplace.


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Further inormation

The Commissions Code o practice: Workplace violence, available on the internet at www.worksae.wa.gov.au

and rom WorkSae.

The Commissions guidance notes, Dealing with workplace bullying: A guide or employers and Dealing withworkplace bullying: A guide or employees, available on the internet at www.worksae.wa.gov.au and romWorkSae.


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7. FATIGUE

7.1 GENERAL FATIGUE

Fatigue is a general term used to describe the eeling o being tired, drained or exhausted. It is accompaniedby poor judgment, slower reactions to events and decreased skills.

Fatigue can result rom long or arduous work, little or poor sleep and the time o day when work is perormed. Itcan be inuenced by health and emotional issues, or by several o actors in combination, and can accumulateover a period o time.

Table 9 Fatigue actors

Main actors causing atigue Examples

Body clock actors Working during normal sleep times and sleepingwhen normally awake and consequently getting lessthan normal or poor quality sleep.

Work actors Excessive work schedules and/or working very longhours with insucient time to recover rom work and/or broken or split shits.

Liestyle actors Inadequate sleep due to social events.

Medical actors Medical sleep problems.

Further inormation on these actors is available in the Commissions Guidance note: Reducing the risk o atigue atworkplaces, available on the internet at www.worksae.wa.gov.au and rom WorkSae.

Where atigue may aect an employees ability to work saely, it must be identifed, assessed and controlled likeother risks at the workplace.

It is important to address atigue as a saety and health issue in call centres where employees work night shits,very long hours or broken or split shits.

As atigue impairs an employees judgment o their state o atigue, eective management o it should not be theresponsibility o the employee alone. Both employers and employees have a role to play in making sure any risksassociated with atigue are minimised.

An employer may identiy atigue by the ollowing atigue indicators:

increased employee irritability;

increased errors by the employee;

employees alling asleep at work; and

increased employee absenteeism.

Open communication between employers and employees is necessary to help identiy atigue at the workplace.


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Control measures

Each workplace is unique and employers should identiy atigue management strategies appropriate or the

particular workplace.


revising the rosters;

For example:

designing work schedules to provide or sucient good quality sleep. The most benefcial sleep is agood nights sleep o at least six hours, taken in a single continuous period. The restorative eects areless i the sleep is split between day and night time; and

considering allocating more than one day o in seven when night work exceeds two consecutive shitsbetween 10.00 p.m. and 8.00 a.m.

giving at least 24 hours notice beore night work; allowing regular night workers periods o normal night sleep so they can catch up on their sleep

debt;

minimising irregular or unamiliar work rosters;

minimising night work when employees return rom leave or an extended period away to allowthem time to adapt; and

considering alternatives to night shits.

Further inormation

The Commissions Guidance note: Reducing the risk o atigue at workplaces, available on the internet atwww.worksae.wa.gov.au and rom WorkSae.

The Saetyline guide, Saety and health in shitwork, available on the internet at www.worksae.wa.gov.au

7.2 VOCAL FATIGUE

Call centre employees spend more o their working day speaking on the phone than most oce employees andare at greater risk o developing throat and voice atigue symptoms.

These problems, medically described as dysphonia, can include pain, tension, croakiness, an irritating cough,an inability to modulate, poor or no vocal power and breathing diculties.

Call centre employees must be given inormation on identiying the symptoms and controlling the risk odysphonia.

Good voice health practices, developed in consultation with employees and their saety and healthrepresentatives (i any), can reduce voice overuse problems.


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Control measures


shortening opening greeting scripts and giving employees requent microbreaks while callersrespond to questions;

providing inormation and training;

Examples o inormation and training include:

providing training on voice production, such as a session with a speech pathologist or training onexercises to develop and protect the voice; and

encouraging employees to stretch the neck and shoulders to relieve tension. These exercises can bedone at workstations as well as during breaks, and could be initiated by regular prompts on employeesscreens.

providing adequate rest breaks; reducing background noises;

For inormation on noise control, reer to Section 8.2.

ensuring the air temperature is not too warm and the level o humidity is not too low (ie the air isnot too dry);

Dry air can aect the voice quality and hot temperatures can dry the vocal olds, laryngeal and nasalmembranes, potentially increasing the risk o irritation, dehydration and vocal atigue.

encouraging employees to drink water to ensure their throats are suciently lubricated; and

assigning nonspeaking tasks when employees identiy dysphonia symptoms or have severecommon colds, which can increase the risk o dysphonia.

7.3 VISUAL FATIGUE AND VISUAL DISPLAY UNITS

An inadequate working environment and workstation can contribute to the risk o employees developing visualatigue.

The symptoms o visual atigue include sore eyes, blurred vision, tired eyes and headaches.

Although intensive use o Visual Display Units (VDUs) can cause temporary vision atigue, there is no convincingscientifc evidence o longterm eye damage.

Biocal glasses

In general, where an employee wears biocal glasses, graduated lenses are recommended so there is theability to change rom short to mid to long distance vision. However, each person should obtain advice rom anappropriate specialist on suitable lenses or use at the workplace.

Control measures

To minimise eye and muscle strain and increase general comort, possible control measures to implementinclude:

installing adjustable screens, keyboards, desktops, document holders, ootrests, chairs and headsets;

installing high resolution VDU monitors and larger screens;

installing adjustable overhead lighting;

installing sotware easy to understand and operate;

keeping screens ree rom glare and reections by controlling the ambient light conditions;

reducing the dust in the environment; and

ee also Section5.6 Lighting

nd Section 6.2Workstationdesign and

setup


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providing adequate instruction, training and supervision.

For example, ensure employees:

adjust the monitor brightness and contrast settings;

keep the screen clean rom dust and smears;

correctly position reerence material;

consider appropriate ont, ont size and colours;

exercise and stretch the eye muscles occasionally, such as relaxing the eye muscles occasionally bylooking away rom the screen and ocusing on an object as ar away as possible; and

take regular breaks and/or do other tasks away rom the VDU.

Consideration could be given to training employees to know when to consult an optometrist or testing o vision.


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8. ACOUSTIC INCIDENTS AND NOISE CONTROL

8.1 ACOUSTIC INCIDENTS

Acoustic incidents are sudden, unexpected loud noises occurring through a receiver during telephone orheadset use. They may be crackles, hisses, whistles or shrieks or highpitched noises.

Although many acoustic incidents occur in call centres throughout Australia, only a very small proportion causethe symptoms known as acoustic shock in employees who have experienced them.

The noises can come rom a wide variety o sources, either within the transmission system or rom the customer end.

Table 10 Sources o acoustic incidents

Within the transmission system, rom: From the customer end, rom:

aulty or damaged networks, telephones andheadset equipment;

eedback oscillation rom some cordless phones;

broadband and narrowband intererence; and alarm signals;

mobile phones or ax machines used in call centres. signalling tones;

phone receivers slammed down or dropped;

tones rom misdirected acsimiles and modems;and

noises made close to the receiver, such as peoplewhistling and babies screaming.

High background noise levels at the workplace can increase the risk o acoustic shock occurring rom anacoustic incident, as operators may raise the volume in their headsets to improve hearing, increasing the impacto any sudden, loud telephone noise.

When an acoustic incident occurs, the operators automatic reaction is to remove the headset or receiver asquickly as possible and, in some cases, this may help prevent or reduce the eects o acoustic shock.

Acoustic shock

Acoustic shock is a term used to describe the symptoms a person may experience rom an acoustic incident.It is not caused by the loudness o a telephone noise, as all phone noise is electronically limited to a peak noise

level o 123 decibels, but by a sudden rise in noise levels.

Other actors, such as a middle ear inammation and eelings o tension, may increase the likelihood o anacoustic shock resulting rom an acoustic incident.

Some researchers believe that the combination o eelings o tension and sudden loud noise causes excessivecontraction o the middle ear muscles, triggering the symptoms known as acoustic shock.

Acoustic shock symptoms

The eect on individuals can vary greatly or the same increase in sound level. Only a small number o peopledevelop symptoms rom an acoustic incident. Why a person experiences symptoms ater an acoustic incident isnot known with certainty and is still being researched.

One possible explanation3 is that a loud noise produces a startle reex in one o the middle ear musclesand that the sound threshold o this reex is lowered when the person is eeling tense or distressed. Underthis explanation, it is likely that acoustic shock is not due to one single actor, such as the level o soundexperienced, but to a combination o physical and psychological actors.

See also theollowing

section onnoise control

28


3. Patuzzi, R. (2001). Acute aural trauma in users o telephone headsets and handsets. In: Proceedings o the risking acoustic shock seminar, Fremantle 2001.


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While there is no confrmed evidence o tissue damage or long term hearing loss resulting rom an acousticincident alone, some people who have been exposed to an acoustic incident have reported one or more o thesymptoms listed below.

Table 11 Acoustic shock symptoms

Audiologists have grouped symptoms into three categories:

1. Primary (immediate) symptoms, whichinclude but are not limited to:

a eeling o ullness in the ear;

burning sensations or sharp pain around or in the ear;

numbness, tingling or soreness down the side o ace,neck or shoulder;

nausea or vomiting;

dizziness; and

tinnitus and other head noises such as eardrumuttering.

In a very ew cases, there may be hearing loss. In extremelyrare cases, there may be a all to the ground.

Later symptoms:

2. Secondary symptoms, which include butare not limited to:

headaches;

atigue;

a eeling o being obalance; and

anxiety.

3. Tertiary symptoms, which include but arenot limited to:

hypersensitivity ie a sensitivity to previously toleratedsounds such as loud voices, television and radio; and

hyper vigilance ie being overly alert.

People experiencing such symptoms will respond in dierent ways. As with other workplace injuries and illhealth, some may experience urther eects, including anger, anxiety, social isolation and other psychologicalproblems.

Very ew people suer hearing loss rom acoustic shock. To assist in the diagnosis in the ew cases where thismay occur, consideration could be given to baseline testing o all operators hearing by a specialist when theycommence work to establish their baseline hearing ability.

Control measures

Possible control measures to implement to reduce the risk o acoustic shock occurring include:

checking loud and/or high pitched noises and addressing causes;

giving prompt attention to damaged equipment and network aults;

The equipment or network supplier or an acoustic specialist should be contacted i necessary.

implementing a headset maintenance program;

controlling background noise in the call centre;

providing better quality headsets and installing acoustic shock protection devices in each phoneset to control noises rom narrowband and broadband intererence and customer generatednoise;

29


See also Section8.2 Noise control


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providing inormation and training to sta and supervisors so they can understand and identiyacoustic incidents as well as acoustic shock symptoms;

Means o implementing this control measure include providing training and procedures on:

the proper ftting and use o headsets to reduce eedback;

how to detect warning sounds indicating cordless phones are being used too close to the base stationat the customer end and ask the customer to turn o the handsree system and move away romthe base station. Training on warning sounds should also prepare operators to know when to removeheadsets as quickly as possible, where necessary; and

procedures or recording acoustic incidents and possible sources and any symptoms suggestingacoustic shock.

with hotdesking work, ensuring employees turn the headset volume down as soon as possibleater a changeover, where there is a general practice during changeovers to turn up the volume;

considering work organisation issues, such as unreasonable or unrealistic perormance pressuresor demands, which may be resulting in eelings o tension and distress; and

preventing mobile phones rom being used in call centres.

Management o acoustic incidents

The procedures or the management o incidents could be along the ollowing lines.

Ater an acoustic incident, the employee should:

i) remove the headset immediately;

ii) in some circumstances, move to the break out (time out) area;

iii) report the incident and any symptoms to the supervisor; and

iv) discuss with the supervisor their ability to continue work and, where appropriate, relocation to anotherworkstation.

Ater an acoustic incident, the employer/supervisor should:

i) ensure the event is recorded and logged;

ii) discuss the incident and ability to continue work with the employee;

iii) where symptoms are persistent or severe, reer the employee to a general practitioner and/or an audiologistor assessment and treatment o injury;

iv) enquire into the cause o the noise, including whether it is rom an internal or external source;

v) ensure the headset and other equipment are checked or clarity o sound and possible damage and aults;

vi) review the adequacy o the noise control measures and general working environment; and

vii) where there is damage or aults, remove the equipment rom service.

Consideration should be given to the special needs o employees who have experienced acoustic shock, suchas ensuring they are not exposed unnecessarily to controllable noises, such as loud alarms during fre drills.

Further inormation

The Australian Standard/Australian Communications Industry Forum, AS/ACIF S004:2004 Voice requencyperormance requirements or customer equipment, available on the internet at www.aci.org.au

ee also Section

6.3.1 Workrelated stress


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8.2 NOISE CONTROL

High levels o background noise can cause employees to turn up their headset volume and/or talk louder,resulting in the risk o employees eeling discomort and tension, straining their voices, and potentially increasingthe impact o acoustic incidents and the risks o acoustic shock occurring.

With hotdesking, background noise oten increases during changeovers when new teams arrive, caused bypeople moving urniture and equipment and talking to one another.

A quiet working environment should be maintained, as ar as practicable, to reduce employees noise exposure.

Control measures


reviewing the design and layout o the room and workstations;

Means o implementing this control measure include:

reducing external and building service noises;

reducing reverberation within the room by using sound absorbing materials; and

placing acoustic barriers around/between workstations and other call centre and break out (time out)areas.

training employees to control voice levels;

encouraging people to not talk loudly or hold discussions near employees;

locating ax machines, photocopiers and printers away rom employees;

controlling radio noise and use o mobile telephones; and

with hotdesking, ensuring changeovers are smoothly managed and quiet.

Means o implementing this control measures include:

providing ample room or employees to move around at changeover times, without crowding; and

providing instruction in advance (ie beore employees move to the working area) to minimise discussionsat workstations.

Further inormation

The Commissions Code o practice: Managing noise at workplaces, available on the internet atwww.worksae.wa.gov.au and rom WorkSae.

The Institute or Research in Construction (Canada), Indoor Environment Research COPE Projects webdocument, Openplan oce acoustical environment. This contains design strategies to reduce noise levels inopen plan oces. It is available on the internet at www.irc.nrccnrc.gc.ca/ie/cope

The National code o practice or noise management and protection o hearing at work [NOHSC:2009(2004)], available on the internet at www.nohsc.gov.au

See also Sections8.1 Acousticincidents and 7.2Vocal atigue


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9. HOTDESKING

Hotdesking is work where call handlers share workstations in relays or dierent tasks. Workstations are eithershared or not assigned and operators sit at whichever desk is vacant.

Operators may carry their own equipment, such as headsets and task documentation, in a portable computerdrawer to the vacant desk.

Particular consideration should be given to the ollowing saety and health issues, which may arise duringhotdesking:

muscle and sot tissue injuries. Muscular strain risks can increase during hotdesking unless workstationsare adjustable. For inormation and control measures, reer to Section 6 o this document, in particularSection 6.2;

headset hygiene. For inormation and control measures, reer to the next section;

background noise. This oten increases during changeovers when new teams arrive, caused by peoplemoving urniture and equipment and talking to one another. For inormation and control measures, reer toSection 8.2 o this document;

acoustic incidents. The impact o these can increase when employees turn up their headset volumeto overcome background noise during changeover times. For inormation and control measures, reer toSections 8.1 and 8.2 o this document; and

workrelated stress. Feelings o tension and distress may arise during the changeover process.Consequently, good organisational planning should be implemented. For inormation and control measures,reer to Section 6.3.1 o this document.

Control measures

Apart rom appropriate control measures outlined elsewhere in this document, possible ones to implement orhotdesking include:

allowing adequate time or operators to adjust workstations;

providing jobspecifc training;

consulting with sta to explain the reasons or hotdesking and provide opportunities or sta todiscuss concerns; and

considering alternative working arrangements.


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10. HEADSET HYGIENE

Without proper hygiene, the sharing o headsets can spread respiratory and other inections such as tropicalear.

As headsets are usually worn throughout a shit, they should be ully adjustable to ensure a comortable ft.

This is particularly important i the ear piece sits at the entrance to the ear canal, rather than resting on theoutside.

Headsets should be checked regularly and repaired or replaced immediately i necessary.

Control measures


providing employees with their own headsets;

providing inormation and training in headset hygiene, use and maintenance;

providing materials and time or sta to complete a headset hygiene program at thecommencement o each shit; and

providing supervision and instruction to remind employees o the hygiene requirements.

I sharing headsets is unavoidable, urther control measures could include:

ensuring employees have access to a sucient supply o sterile ear pads and voice tubes orsterile wipes or cleaning headsets and voice tubes;

ensuring ear piece oam covers and voice tubes are replaced between shared uses;

ensuring ear pieces and voice tubes are cleaned with disinectant between shared uses; and

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