What should my employer do about voice care?

The 'Work hoarse' article in the TUC-backed magazine, Hazards, (www.hazards.org/voiceloss) contains a number of recommendations for how employers can help reduce the risk 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 at risk of voice loss and stress and 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.