NOISE SURVEY IN INDUSTRY AND COMMUNITY

The method for performing noise surveys in an industrial location versus community
noise ordinances are different.
Industrial facilities primary objective is OSHA Compliance with noise standards
and preventing workers from hearing loss.
In commercial situations, the primary objective is compliance with Community
Noise Ordinances to prevent excessive noise during the day and lower noise limits
at night, particularly when commercial/industrial facilities are located near
residential communities.

Industrial Noise Surveys

It is the employer’s duty to assess and, where it appears necessary, to measure the
noise levels at work, paying particular attention to the level, type and duration of
exposure and any exposure to impulsive noise. The methods and equipment to use
for noise measurement must be adequate to determine whether the exposure levels
have been exceeded.
The amount of noise to which a person is exposed is called their ‘noise dose’ or daily
noise exposure and is calculated from the noise level and the length of time in the
noise. This is relatively straightforward if the noise is constant or regular and steady.
Where the sound level varies throughout the day, the calculation is more complex
and it is sensible to work on a worst case scenario. The Leq is the ‘equivalent
continuous noise exposure’, which means that, if it is not a steady noise, the noise
exposure will be averaged throughout the working day. It is important to realise that
decibels are logarithmic units and that they are not added or averaged in the same
way as ‘normal’ numbers. The term ‘daily personal exposure to noise’ (shortened to
LEP, d or LEX, 8h) is usually the equivalent continuous level (Leq) over an 8-hour
day. Where the noise exposure varies markedly from day to day, it may be measured
over a week, which is taken to be five 8-hour days (International Standards
Organisation, 1990). Where shifts are longer than 8 hours, noise exposure limits can
still be calculated using the ‘equal energy rule’, which takes account of the noise
levels and time of exposure. This will give lower limits than those applying to an 8-
hour day.
However, consideration must also be given to the:
• Problems related to the use of hearing protection over such a prolonged period.
• The effect of fatigue and stress factors, related to long shifts, on noise risk.
• Decreased hours of recovery.

Noise exposure limits for shifts in excess of 8 hours

Before making the noise measurements, thought needs to go into deciding the type
of information required. Various instruments and techniques may be used but, in
order that sound level measurements are accurate, it is important that:
• The person undertaking noise measurements is suitably trained and competent.
• The equipment used is traceably calibrated.
• An appropriate standard method of measurement is used. The person in charge of
the programme does not necessarily have to take the noise measurements and it is
common for specialists to be brought in on a consultancy basis.
Instruments used for measuring noise include:
• A basic sound level meter.
• A sound level meter providing octave band analysis.
• An integrating sound level meter.
• A dosimeter.
All these are designed to provide objective measurements of the noise level and must
be calibrated to ensure their accuracy. This is especially important when the
equipment is being used to establish whether a sound level is above or below a pre-
set action value. Where very high levels of noise are involved, extra precision is
required. A difference of only 0.1 dB could, for example, prevent an aircraft from
being allowed to operate from a large international airport.
Routine calibration of sound level measuring devices may be carried out using a
sound calibrator, which is a small instrument that can be coupled to the microphone
of the sound level meter and which delivers a known sound signal. The sound
calibrator must itself be calibrated at regular intervals. A basic sound level meter
consists of a microphone that converts the sound into an equivalent electrical signal
so that it can be processed electronically or digitally.
The dBA scale is generally used for most noise measurements in the workplace. The
‘D’ network is used for aircraft noise. Where the noise is not modified, a linear or
‘flat’ scale is used or the measurement may be made in Pascal (Pa) which is a
measurement of pressure.
Octave band analysis is used where it is deemed necessary to provide more detailed
information about the frequency content of the noise. Filters are used to divide the
sound signal (20 Hz to 20 kHz) into frequency bands. Each filter will reject all
frequencies outside its selected band .The bandwidth is generally one octave or one-
third octave. One-third octave bands provide more detailed analysis than octave
bands.
A sound level meter may measure continuous sounds or specific events. Information
from a basic sound level meter, set to A-weighting and ‘slow’ response, can be used
to quantify noise exposure where the average noise level over a short period is
typical of that over the whole working day. When an employee changes noise
environments during the day, there are a number of practical methods that are widely
used to establish the noise exposure:
1. Sound levels are measured in various areas throughout the work premises and
these are combined with shift patterns or data from time and motion analysis. This
system can be easily updated if shift patterns change. A noise map may be produced
for the workplace or certain areas within it. In order to produce a noise map, noise
is measured at selected worker locations. These noise measurements are plotted on
a plan of the workplace and joined by lines to identify areas where there are noise
hazards. The more measurement points used, the more accurate will be the map. The
employees need not be present when the measurements are made but these should
be taken as close as possible to where the workers’ ears will be positioned.
2. An integrating sound level meter is used, which measures sounds from specific
events and integrates them to give an ‘equivalent continuous sound pressure level’
(Leq). If the noise fluctuates over a wide range of levels or is irregular, intermittent
or impulsive, an integrating sound level meter must be used (British Standards
Institution, 1976).
3. Dosimetry is used to establish the noise exposure of an individual. A dosimeter is
a small integrating sound level meter, which is worn with the microphone at or near
the employee’s ear. Measurement is usually taken throughout a typical working day.
4. For high level impulse noises, a sound level meter with an impulse noise facility
is needed.

An example of a noise survey map.

Community Noise Surveys

Many communities have enacted ordinances that limit outdoor noise emissions to
certain maximum values depending on the time of day or night. Depending on the
community, these ordinances limit noise emissions to absolute values (such as 65
dBA during the day and 45 dBA during the night), or to relative values (such as no
more than 5 dB greater than the ambient noise levels at the time of
measurement).numerous outdoor noise surveys on behalf of residents, businesses
and communities are carried out to determine compliance to community noise
ordinances.
Typically, acoustical tests using a Class 1 SLM is performed first, to establish
ambient and operating noise levels and to identify noise transmission paths. Once
these paths are understood, acoustical tests are done over longer durations and at
different times of the day and/or night to establish noise patterns in the ambient and
operating noise levels. If necessary, acoustic data loggers are installed near the
source and within the community to record the noise data over a longer time duration
(hours, days, or weeks). The data is then downloaded and analyzed to determine
compliance with community noise ordinances. Typically, this community noise
survey testing results in the creation of a “sound map” of the community.
Once the community noise levels are established and areas where the noise
ordinances are exceeded have been identified, it is a matter of identifying noise
source (s) and addressing them with soundproofing materials.

Community Noise Survey Testing results for Dayparts

Most communities have noise ordinances that limit the amount of noise at the
property line or the nearest residential housing. Different limits are generally set for
day time limits and a lower level for nighttime.
The times for meeting the allowable noise vary from community to community as
does the measurement devices that must be used. Some communities have lower
noise limits on weekends as well.
References:
 Noise Surveys, Noise Testing, Industrial and Community (Robert E. Sheriff)
 www.sonic-shield.com
 Occupational Audiometry (Maryanne Maltby)