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Noise control

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Noise control

Noise control or noise mitigation is a set of strategies to reduce noise pollution or to reduce the impact of that noise, whether outdoors or indoors.

The main areas of noise mitigation or abatement are: transportation noise control, architectural design, urban planning through zoning codes, and occupational noise control. Roadway noise and aircraft noise are the most pervasive sources of environmental noise. Social activities may generate noise levels that consistently affect the health of populations residing in or occupying areas, both indoor and outdoor, near entertainment venues that feature amplified sounds and music that present significant challenges for effective noise mitigation strategies.

Multiple techniques have been developed to address interior sound levels, many of which are encouraged by local building codes. In the best case of project designs, planners are encouraged to work with design engineers to examine trade-offs of roadway design and architectural design. These techniques include design of exterior walls, party walls, and floor and ceiling assemblies; moreover, there are a host of specialized means for damping reverberation from special-purpose rooms such as auditoria, concert halls, entertainment and social venues, dining areas, audio recording rooms, and meeting rooms.

Many of these techniques rely upon material science applications of constructing sound baffles or using sound-absorbing liners for interior spaces. Industrial noise control is a subset of interior architectural control of noise, with emphasis on specific methods of sound isolation from industrial machinery and for protection of workers at their task stations.

Sound masking is the active addition of noise to reduce the annoyance of certain sounds, the opposite of soundproofing.

Organizations each have their own standards, recommendations/guidelines, and directives for what levels of noise workers are permitted to be around before noise controls must be put into place.

OSHA's requirements state that when workers are exposed to noise levels above 90 A-weighted decibels (dBA) in 8-hour time-weighted averages (TWA), administrative controls and/or new engineering controls must be implemented in the workplace. OSHA also requires that impulse noises and impact noises must be controlled to prevent these noises reaching past 140 dB peak sound pressure levels (SPL).

MSHA requires that administrative and/or engineering controls must be implemented in the workplace when miners are exposed to levels above 90 dBA TWA. If noise levels exceed 115 dBA, miners are required to wear hearing protection. MSHA, therefore, requires that noise levels be reduced below 115 dB TWA. Measuring noise levels for noise control decision making must integrate all noises from 90 dBA to 140 dBA.

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