Noise and quality of life in the perspective of gas station workers

ABSTRACT Purpose: to evaluate the understanding of noise and the perception about quality of life of gas station workers. Methods: this is an exploratory study with a sample of 32 employees, of both sexes from three gas stations of a country town in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. Data were collected during the activities allusive to the International Noise Awareness Day, in April 2015, by a questionnaire on noise and hearing health and by the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-Bref). Results: most workers reported not having a hearing loss, discomfort or pain when subjected to noise. However, they believe that exposure to noise can lead to hearing loss as well as tinnitus and dizziness. The working environment was indicated as noisy, but the workers do not perceive themselves as noise producers and do not adopt preventive measures. Concerning the quality of life, the lowest score was for the environmental domain, in both sexes and age equal and less than 30 years. Conclusion: the study allowed to understand that the majority of workers does not have significant knowledge about the need for protective measures against noise; also showed that the environmental domain was the most compromised in the perception of employees on quality of life.