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Does my Office Need Sound Masking?

sound masking

When you have private, sensitive information to discuss, sound masking technology can help you to keep co-workers from overhearing.

Almost certainly, it does. If, in your office situation, employees  are disrupted by their co-workers’ conversations or, conversely, are overly aware that others can hear their conversations or are distracted by ringing telephones, printers, and other machines—in other words, if you work in an office at all—you’re a prime candidate for the benefits of sound masking.

Voices Carry

Privacy (or lack thereof) and noise are major–and, left unchecked, relentless—issues in open offices. In addition, in healthcare and related service fields, protecting sensitive patient information is not just a top priority, it is the law. The potential for oral disclosure is seen by some to be the most serious of all the risks, and HIPPA violations can be as expensive as they are regular.

The good news is that installing a sound-masking solution is a simple and affordable solution. Sound masking works because it changes the “dynamic range” of sound in an environment. Typically, the dynamic range in office environments is large, meaning that there is a great degree of difference between the lowest, or ambient, sound level and the highest levels of sound, when people are actively speaking and working. Offices are perceived as noisy precisely because of this large dynamic range.

The higher decibel sound of conversational speech is easily heard in a backdrop of a lower, ambient background sound. Sound masking works by subtly raising the ambient background sound level, thereby reducing sound’s dynamic range. This effectively “masks” unwanted noise, makes speech unintelligible (creating privacy), and makes the work environment acoustically comfortable.

Call Us Now!

When you work with American Design Associates, the sound masking we recommend could take several forms. Architectural sound baffles installed on the interior walls are often a good fit, while special acoustic tiles in the ceiling are another solution. In addition, electronic sound masking can be installed new or wired into your existing intercom system to help break up sound electronically. It all depends, of course, on your specific needs.

American Design Associates, Inc. is a Contract Furniture Dealer and Design Firm located in Towson, Maryland. We proudly consider ourselves a “Dream Team” comprised of experienced project managers, interior designers, service technicians and an outstanding customer support team. We service clients throughout the Mid-Atlantic region including Maryland, DC, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and beyond. We have the resources and the know how to provide the best solution for all of your business needs.

Call American Design Associates today at (410) 823-5500, contact us on our website or pay us a visit today. We want to help your office stay quiet.

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This entry was posted on Friday, December 4th, 2015 at 4:16 pm. Both comments and pings are currently closed.