Development of the noise at work questionnaire to assess perceptions of noise in the workplace

This study investigated a questionnaire that assesses workers' perceptions of noise at work. From an original pool of 33 questions, the 20-item Noise at Work Questionnaire was developed. Items were eliminated based on the responses of 45 employees from three workplaces. The questionnaire has good overall reliability and contains five subscales that evaluate: the perceived benefits of reducing noise and protecting hearing; the perceived barriers to reducing noise; perceived self-efficacy for reducing noise and protecting hearing; attitudes to noise; and perceived susceptibility to hearing loss. Subject education level, work type, work level, self-reported hearing loss and communication difficulties did not influence questionnaire results. Factors that related to questionnaire subscale scores were: having a hearing test through work; use of hearing protectors; type of workplace; age; and English language used at home. The questionnaire can be used as a tool to evaluate the effectiveness of hearing loss prevention programs in changing workers' perceptions about noise.