What Is Noise?
Noise measurement covers two distinct areas. ENVIRONMENTAL NOISE (ISO 1996) determines the sound level a source creates in surrounding residential areas for day, evening and night periods. WORKPLACE NOISE (ISO 9612) measures a worker's daily noise exposure and peak sound pressure.
Purpose of Noise
For environmental noise, the purpose is to show compliance with residential-area limit values; for workplace noise, it is to determine the worker's exposure level and identify the necessary protective measures.
Which Products Is Noise Applied To?
- Vicinity of an industrial facility
- Entertainment venues and businesses
- Construction sites and mines
- Production facility work environments
- Transport-related noise points
In Which Sectors Is Noise Used?
Standards Related to Noise
- TS ISO 1996-1/-2 (description, measurement and assessment of environmental noise)
- TS EN ISO 9612 (determination of occupational noise exposure)
- TS EN ISO 3744 / 3746 (determination of sound power levels)
- TS EN 61672-1 (sound level meters)
- TS EN ISO 11201 (machine emission sound pressure)
Noise Conditions
- Measurement period
- For environmental noise, day, evening and night are measured separately
- Meteorology
- Wind speed and direction affect the result; measurement is not performed outside the limits defined in the standard
- Background
- Background noise is measured separately with the source stopped
- Calibration
- Verification with an acoustic calibrator before and after measurement
Equipment for Noise
- Class 1 sound level meter and acoustic calibrator
- Noise dosimeters (for workplace measurements)
- Windscreen and tripod
- Meteorological measurement equipment
- Frequency analysis software
Sample Requirements for Noise
- Measurement is performed on site
- Measurement points, heights and distances to the source must be recorded
- Source operating conditions must be documented
- Work tasks and their durations must be provided for a workplace measurement
Duration of Noise
Because environmental noise measurement covers three periods, it takes at least a full day; longer-term assessment requires a longer measurement. Workplace measurement is planned to cover the shift duration and range of tasks.
Noise Procedure
- 1Measurement purpose, points and periods are planned.
- 2The instrument is verified with the acoustic calibrator.
- 3Meteorological conditions are recorded and their suitability checked.
- 4Measurement is performed while the source is running.
- 5Background noise is measured with the source stopped.
- 6Results are calculated and compared against the limit values.
Noise Acceptance Criteria
For environmental noise, the acceptance criterion is the limit values defined in national legislation per land use and period; 2002/49/EC establishes the assessment and mapping framework. For the workplace, 2003/10/EC defines lower and upper action values and the exposure limit value for daily exposure.
Evaluation of Results
If background noise is close to the source noise, separating the source's contribution from the measured value may not be reliable; the standard defines the corrections and limitations to apply in this case. Meteorological conditions are also decisive: the result rises if the wind blows from the source toward the measurement point.
Noise Report
- Measurement points, coordinates and heights
- Source identification and operating conditions
- Measurement periods and durations
- Meteorological conditions
- Source and background noise levels
- Calculated assessment levels and limits compared against
Accreditation
EUROLAB holds internationally recognised accreditation obtained from accreditation bodies party to the IAF and ILAC multilateral recognition arrangements, under ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratory testing, ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection and surveillance, and ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 17065 for system and product certification. This chain ensures the reports and certificates issued are accepted worldwide.
Whether this test can be offered within accredited scope depends on your product and the standard applied; since accreditation is method-based, the scope is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.
Scope and authorisationsRelated Regulations
- 2002/49/EC Environmental Noise Directive
- 2003/10/EC Directive on Worker Exposure to Noise
- 2000/14/EC Outdoor Equipment Noise Emission Directive
Environmental Analysis — What Does This Testing Field Cover?
The section below describes the field that the Noise test belongs to; the conditions and acceptance criteria of this particular test are given in the sections above. The scope specific to your product is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.
Environmental analysis determines the presence and concentration of pollutants in water, soil, waste, air and flue gas samples. The output of this family is usually part of a permit, a declaration or an inspection file; the result has direct legal consequences.
In this family SAMPLING is half the result, and this is the feature that most sets the field apart. A sample taken at the wrong time, in the wrong container, under the wrong preservation or from the wrong point gives an invalid result no matter how well it is analysed in the laboratory. In waste water a grab sample and a composite sample give different information; in soil, surface and depth produce different results. Sampling therefore has its own standards and its own accreditation scope.
On the water side, physico-chemical parameters (pH, conductivity, turbidity, COD, BOD, suspended solids), ions, heavy metals, organic pollutants and microbiological parameters are measured. Drinking water and waste water carry different parameter sets and different limits; the same laboratory method leads to a different decision under the two regimes.
In soil and waste, heavy metals, hydrocarbons, PAH and PCB compounds and LEACHING BEHAVIOUR are determined. The leaching test carries a logic peculiar to this field: it is not the total amount of a pollutant in soil but the fraction that can pass into water that determines the environmental risk. Waste classification and the disposal decision rest largely on this test.
On the emissions side, dust, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, oxygen, moisture and total organic carbon are monitored in flue gas. Measurement is made on site under operating conditions and must represent the plant's actual operating regime; a measurement taken at low load does not show the emissions at full capacity.
Continuous measurement systems are a separate body of work. In large plants emissions are monitored continuously and the accuracy of these systems is verified periodically by comparison with independent measurements; the quality assurance framework governs this.
Noise and vibration measurements complete the environmental impact side of the field: environmental noise mapping, workplace noise exposure and vibration exposure measurements produce evidence for both environmental and occupational health legislation.
Method groups in this field
Sampling
Separate sampling standards for water, waste water, soil, waste, flue gas and ambient air; grab, composite and continuous sampling techniques.
Water physico-chemical
pH, conductivity, turbidity, colour, suspended solids, COD, BOD, TOC, alkalinity, nitrogen and phosphorus species.
Elemental analysis
Determination of heavy metals and trace elements in water, soil and waste by ICP-OES and ICP-MS.
Organic pollutants
Volatile organic compounds, PAH, PCB and organochlorine pesticides by GC-MS; hydrocarbon oil index.
Flue gas
Measurement of dust, SO2, NOx, CO, O2, moisture and total gaseous organic carbon; quality assurance of automated measuring systems.
Leaching and waste characterisation
Leaching tests and waste classification parameters; the basis for the disposal decision.
Commonly confused in this field
- An analytical result cannot be used on its own without the sampling record; the time, point, conditions and chain of custody are part of the report.
- Total content and leachable amount give different information; in waste classification, leaching behaviour is what counts.
- Emission measurement must be made under representative operating conditions of the plant; a result taken at partial load is misleading.
- Drinking water and waste water limits are defined in different legislation; the same parameter carries a different threshold under the two regimes.
- A sample from a single point does not represent the whole area; assessment of a contaminated site requires a grid-based sampling plan.
Which decisions these results support
- Compliance with environmental permits and discharge limits
- Quality assurance of continuous emission measurement systems
- Contaminated site assessment and the remediation decision
- Waste classification and selection of the disposal method
- Workplace exposure measurements and occupational health obligations
Related Tests
Frequently Asked Questions About Noise
What should we measure for a neighbour complaint?
Environmental noise is measured at the point of complaint, during the period the complaint concerns (particularly night). Background must also be measured with the source stopped; otherwise the source's real contribution cannot be shown.
If we provide ear protection, is workplace measurement no longer needed?
Yes, it is still needed. 2003/10/EC requires exposure to be determined first, then measures taken per the risk assessment. Knowing the exposure level and frequency distribution is also needed to select the correct protector.