Voice picking in warehouses: impact on the noise exposure of operatives and solutions to prevent excessive noise exposure

摘要

Voice picking is a technology which uses speech recognition and speech synthesis to allow warehouse management systems to communicate orders to and receive confirmations from operatives equipped with headsets. As the ambient noise is generally high, operatives are likely to adjust their headset level to a maximum. Noise exposure measurements have shown that the noise exposure limits are often exceeded. To prevent hearing loss, several solutions have been tested: the acoustic level of orders has been reduced to a minimum, headsets have been modified to include low acoustic protection and, finally, headsets have been replaced by custom-moulded earplugs. These earplugs are equipped with speakers for order transmission and a microphone to allow a feed-through of the ambient sound. This allows the perception of ambient noise to prevent accidents, but at a lower sound level. All these solutions have been tested in real situations. Their advantages and drawbacks are discussed.