At a former job I had a few years back, I wore headphones as the noise in the
lab from hoods, vacuum pumps, etc. drove me batty.  Being able to listen to
music (I am a musician myself, so music is VERY important to me) while I work
is all important, otherwise, I become irritable and depressed.  Worse, is when
I have to listen to music that I don't like.  Basically, I like EVERY kind of
music except things with obscene/violent lyrics, but it also bugs me to listen
to the SAME kind of music day in and day out.  I go from Pat Methey to Randy
Travis in a flash & the next day it's U2 to Brahms.  I believe that if I
currently worked with other people, I could drive THEM crazy without
headphones!  *G*

People MUST be courteous... that means responding to coworkers' conversation
whether it's chat or business.  You also must be attentive to the job at
hand... if you work in a place where the pathologist pages, calls or in any
other way needs to get in touch with you, that's the obligation you have as an
employee.  Headphones are great for listening pleasure (or sparing your
co-workers from hearing what you like), but the job must be done and people
must interact.

Connie McManus

Kimberly Carter wrote:

> In the last 14 years, I have worked in 3 labs of various sizes. The rules
> about radios and head phones fills the entire spectrum of possibilities. I
> can say the use of radios and head phones are great for employee morale.
> The largest lab I worked in allowed headphones. There was 10-12 histotechs
> cutting at once. Not everyone used head phones and no one had them up so
> loud as not to hear everything else going on. And we did interact with one
> another a lot. As a matter of fact, we were quite a chatty group. The
> variety in tastes was great. From hard rock, easy listening, opera,
> classical, country, alternative, and talk radio. The use of head phones was
> only an issue in the lab that did not allow it. As adults, we all respected
> each others rights and realized that the privilege could be taken away if
> abused.(which it never was) I found when people put their headphones on,
> they got down to business. Also, the small research lab I work in
> now I have an assistant who is profoundly deaf. She and I are the only two
> in the histology portion. And hearing is not an issue. I want to say that I
> feel respected and valued as an employee in labs where the choice is mine
> to make. Not another issue controlled by management. (Don't they have
> bigger and better things to worry about?)
>
> Kim Carter
> Ohio State University
> Comprehensive Cancer Center
> Columbus Ohio
>
> I found this topic extremely interesting.   The issue of headphones
> being raised as a safety factor.  It does not pose a safety danger.  I
> work with in a lab with a severe hearing impaired technologist.  She
> has been in the field for over 20 years.  There has never been a
> safety incident due to her impairment.  It boils down to social
> interactions between co-workers.  The headphones will likely decrease
> verbal dialogs between coworkers but to imply a safety factor is
> simply not the case.
>
> > ----------
> >
> >

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