Useful Links

• Health and Safety Executive website- list of events for European Health and Safety Week
• Onrec - The Magazine for Online Recruitment around the World
• Eurohs - The webtise for European occupational health and safety
• CIO Today - Daily Briefing for Technology's Top Decision-Makers
• Communication Workers Union - sponsors of the ASP
• Medpage Today - article by Katrina Woznicki on acoustic shock
• NW BT Union Health and Safety website
• A Project on Noise Interference by Gill Gillett, CWU Safety Rep

• Ear and now: Hang up on call centres? - 28 Nov, 2006 2058hrs ISTTIMES NEWS NETWORK
  While many call centre workers are facing these problems, Kamesh Patil, HR manager of a call centre clarifies, "I agree that excessive exposure to noise and prolonged working hours may cause damage to hearing power of an employee, but we keep in mind that none of our employees work overtime for the sake of earning extra money. Also, our call centre workers use earphones that meet international quality standards. We also get medical check-ups organised for then at regular intervals so as to minimise such cases."
• The Medical Director of the Acoustic Safety Programme, Dr Andrew Graham-Cumming, talks to Winifred Robinson about acoustic shock - BBC Radio 4 – You and Yours, 12.40 Nov 27, 2006
  To listen to the broadcast, click the link then on the BBC Radio Player select You and Yours Monday. The transmission was at 12.40 and 20 seconds. To get there click the 15minute button three times then go back five minutes by clicking the 1 min back button five times.
• Call Centre Staff Get GBP 2.5 Million Over Hearing Damage – The Herald, Nov 28, 2006 – Scotland
  A conference in Glasgow heard yesterday that some 700 workers have received out-of court settlement payouts totalling GBP2.5m…
• Fears Over Call Centres – The Herald, Nov 20, 2006 – Scotland
  Campaigners said incidents of acoustic shock - a sudden and unexpected noise received through headphones or an earpiece - were on the increase.
• City To Hear Of Threat To Call Centre Staff – The Herald, Nov 17, 2006 – Glasgow
  Glasgow is the UK's call centre capital. There are more than 200 centres in and around the city, employing more than 20,000 of the 900,000 UK call centre workers.
• Dr Andrew Graham-Cumming, Medical Director, Acoustic Safety Programme, speaks to Lesley Ashmall and John Pienaar of BBC Five Live about Acoustic Shock in Call Centres. Sunday 19th November tt 21:27hrs
  Click this link and then 'Listen Again to Weekend News: Sun' Click forward 6 x 15 minutes and then back 3 x 1 min for start of interview.
• Call centre staff 'hearing risk' BBC News - UK
  Two thirds of UK call centres fail to protect their workers against hearing damage from noise, a report warns. Experts will tell an acoustic safety conference in Glasgow many of the 900,000 call centre staff are at risk.
• 1,000 call centre workers suffer from noise shock - Observer Sunday November 19, 2006
  More than 1,000 people working in call centres across Britain are thought to have suffered the effects of acoustic shock, a little-known hearing condition triggered when people are exposed to a loud and unexpected noise.
• Fears over call centre noise risk - BBC News - UK
  ... there have on occasions been incidents of noise interference, defined as unexpected and sometimes unexplained sounds, termed sometimes as acoustic shock.". ...
• Acoustic Shock ruins call centre workers lives! Union Network International - World
  Acoustic shock is a devastating 21st Century industrial injury ruining call centre workers' lives and costing industry millions, The Communication Workers ...
• HEALTH AND SAFETY MINISTER CALLS FOR PROTECTION OF CALL CENTRE - SourceWire (press release) - London,UK
  Acoustic shock is the result of a random frequency surge delivered via a headset, caused by a sudden spike in noise that can damage the human ear. ...
• Business Digest The Sunday Times, UK - 5 Nov 2005
  ... SOME of Britain’s biggest employers will attend a conference tomorrow aimed at increasing awareness of acoustic shock — caused by sudden, high-pitched ...