A Trades Union Congress (TUC) report is warning that the combination of bugs and germs, dry centrally-heated offices and jobs that place a strain on employees’ vocal chords could prove disastrous for the millions of UK workers who rely on their voices to do their jobs.

‘Work Hoarse’, which appears in the latest issue of the TUC-backed health and safety magazine ‘Hazards’, says that teachers and call centre workers are the groups of workers most likely to be suffering a blight at this time of year. Figures form the US suggest that as many as five million workers in the UK could be routinely affected by voice loss, at annual cost to the economy of over £200 million.

In any one year around one in five teachers has to miss school due to voice-related problems, around five times the rate for the rest of the UK workforces as a whole.

The Royal College of Speech and Language has reported increasing numbers of call centre workers being referred to speech therapists, blaming their voice loss on over-long scripts, long hours and few opportunities to take a break for a drink of water.

A key factor leading to occupational voice loss is overuse, says the Hazards article, because human voices are not designed for constant use without breaks. Low humidity doesn’t’ help, neither does stress, tiredness, poor workplace air quality, or chemicals like chlorine and organic solvents that are common in many workplaces.

The reports contains a number of recommendations to help reduce the risks of occupational voice loss:

• Provide a working environment that has a comfortable temperature and humidity, and control dust and chemicals, as both can inflame the membranes of the vocal tract.


• Carry out a risk assessment that looks at the jobs most a risk of voice loss and stress, look at ways of changing the way people work to minimise any risk.


• Ensure staff take regular rest breaks and drink plenty of fresh water, and don’t put pressure on staff to come into work when they are not well enough to do so.