Chapter 1 12 2015). Inotherwords, thedegreeof hearing loss aswell as the impactof hearing losson daily life functioning depends on personal and environmental factors. These factors include the presence of environmental noise and reverberation, the use of hearing aids or other assistive technical devices, social support, and the use of compensatory strategies, such as making use of speech reading skills. The impact of hearing loss on work functioning can also be greatly influenced by personal and environmental factors (Granberg &Gustafsson, 2021). For example, a workplace with facilitators – such as supporting colleagues or hearing devices – can improve auditory functioning at work, whereas a workplace with barriers – such as a noisy environment or high auditory demands – can restrict auditory functioning at work. Although there is little knowledge on how personal and environmental factors interact with hearing loss and its consequences on everyday activities and participation in working adults with hearing loss, environmental noise and reverberation have been described to be important factors to consider in this population (Dobie, 2008; Morata et al., 2005). Noise and reverberation Noise can be defined as any unwanted sound that interferes with the sound of interest (Levitt, 2001). When listening to someone’s speech, possible sources of noise are interfering voices, or sounds produced by technical devices in or near by the room. Many job tasks need to be performed in noisy work environments. This is evident in the case of a call-center agent who needs to make phone calls simultaneously with many colleagues in the same room (Beyan et al., 2016), in the case of a nurse who needs to detect 23 different auditory alarms at an intensive care unit (Momtahan et al., 1993), and in the case of a team leader who needs to participate in staff meetings (Laroche & Garcia, 2001). Reverberation occurs when a sound source is accompanied by reflections of multiple sound sources in an enclosed space (Perham et al., 2007). It can be expressed in reverberation time, which is the time it takes for a sound to reduce 60 dB below its original level. The reverberation time depends on the size, shape, and nature of the room. For example, the reverberation time is often higher in rooms with high ceilings and hard surfaces, whereas the reverberation time can be reduced by placing sound-absorbing materials, such as curtains or carpeting. A considerable amount of job tasks is performed in reverberant listening environments, including swimming pools, open offices, and sport halls.
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