Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-13
Effect Of Noise Upon Human Efficiency
BY FREDERIC J. HAsKIN.

Noise is merciless enemy of
efficiency.
The incessant raucous believing of
q radio late at night or the clatter
and clang Of metal garbage cans in the
alley early In the morning may and,
If there is anything in common report,
do create such disturbance of rest and
annoyance as to lower vitality for work
the next day. In addition and Of more
direct importance is the fact that I'M
necessary noises in a work room demon
strably reduce the efficiency of most
workers there engaged. The reduction of
efficiency in the one case is indirect; in
the latter 1t Is immediate.
This, the United States Bureau of
Labor Statistics reports, has been
wholly established through a series of
experiments and studies In noise
diminution.
Some of the results are no less than
amazing. Persons looking for expressive
SMILES are fond Of citing a boiler works
as about the noisiest of the works OF
man. One OF the experiments which
the bureau reports employed this well
known example of noise production,
The experiment had to do with the
work in the assembly room of a COM
pany engaged in the manufacture of
temperature regulating instruments.
This assembly department where work.
ers put together the parts of the deli
cate instrument was located immedi-
ately adjacent to a boiler works. It
was removed away from the din to
another location. After assembly. each
instrument which had been put to-
gether was carefully inspected. When
the work had been done next the boiler
shop the average Of reflections was rs
per cent OF the number OF instruments.
THESE had TO be done over again. In
the new and quiet location. reiections
abruptly declined to only per cent.
Not only that, but the OUTPUT rose
from 30 instruments assembled by the
force In given unit of time to ITO, a
gain OF 80. Not only was the work
more perfectly done, but the output was
phenomenally increased. The same
group OF workers were engaged upon
precisely the same kind Of work in
both the noisy and quiet locations.
For purposes Of measuring noise in
It's effect upon human efficiency, a unit
OF measurement has been created. 1t is
called the decibel. A decibel Is the
smallest appreciate change which the
average, normal human ear can detect
In the level and power Of a sound.
All Sound Producers Hinder Workers.
Noise has its effect upon efficiency
not only in places where mechanical
manufacturing work is done as in the
manufacturing work is done as in the ex-
ample ofthe temperature instrument fac
tory. Another impressive example which
the bureau reports has to do with large
work room in an insurance Office Type
writer's and adding machines and such
appliances employed in connection with
clerical as opposed to manufacturing
work made the average amount of
sound found in such an once. BY a
careful study OF and then a rearrange-
ment OF the work, the volume of sound
was reduced from IS to IS decibels AL
though no other rearrangements were
made and although the Identical stan
were concerned, 1t was found that after
the change, output Of work increased IL
per cent.
Still another case has to do with q
large telephone operators room. The
number Of decibels Of noise was re-
duced from so to IS. The immediate
result was az per cent reduction in
the number of errors made. A saving
OF cents on each message was eff
fected.
1t seems that almost any kind oil
noise is destructive of efficiency Usually
intermittent noises are regarded as mos
annoying and distracting. However, in
factory. an experiment was made In
materially reducing the noise of a loud
but steadily humming ventilating fan
A IL per cent increase in production re-
suited Immediately.
Some noises could scarcely be re-
garded as reducible. Rewriting to the