Auditory warning sounds in the work environment

TLDR

Auditory warnings such as ambulance sirens rely on loud, brute‑force sounds that cut through noise but can startle people and disrupt communication. Researchers collaborated with industry and government to conduct auditory warning studies and then developed ergonomic warning guidelines. The studies found that no more than six distinct warning sounds should be used, each with a unique melody and timing, and that optimal sound levels can be predicted; these guidelines were applied to design prototypes for aircraft, operating theatres, and railways.

Abstract

One of the most common auditory warnings is the ambulance ‘siren’. It cuts through traffic noise and commands one’s attention, but it does so by sheer brute force. This ‘better safe than sorry’ approach to auditory warnings occurs in most environments where sounds are used to signal danger or potential danger. Flooding the environment with sound is certain to attract attention; however it also causes startled reactions and prevents communications at a crucial point in time. In collaboration with several companies and government departments, the MRC Applied Psychology Unit performed a series of auditory warning studies. The main conclusions of the research were that the number of immediate-action warning sounds should not exceed about six, and that each sound should have a distinct melody and temporal pattern. The experiments also showed that it is possible to predict the optimum sound level for a warning sound in most noise environments. Subsequently, a set of guidelines for the production of ergonomic auditory warnings was developed. The guidelines have been used to analyse the environments in both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, and to design prototype warning systems for environments as diverse as helicopters, operating theatres and the railways.