If you need assistance in reducing noise levels through engineering controls as discussed in this article, call us at 973-366-4660 or email us at info@atlenv.com for details and a free estimate.
Written By: Henry P. Shotwell, Ph.D., CIH, Vice-President and Robert E. Sheriff, MS, CIH, CSP, President
February 3, 2020
Reducing Excessive Noise Using Engineering Methods
It’s fairly simple to control personal exposure to noise by limiting exposure time or using hearing protectors like earplugs or earmuffs. However, this approach is the least effective method. Engineering controls are usually applied to the machinery that produces noise. OSHA regulations state that if noise exposure levels reach the 90 dB-A PEL, then engineering controls must be pursued. Thus effort must be instituted to identify means to reduce noise levels in the work area whether indoor, outdoor, manufacturing or construction.
Imagine a 200 x 175-foot manufacturing facility with a 30-foot high ceiling. In this building is a variety of cut-off saws, grinders, millers and other metal-working machines. There is also a small foundry shake-out station. When normally operating, the overall noise level is 89 decibels (A-scale). Individual machines can produce up to 106 decibels at the point of operation. The HVAC system has long runs of rectangular ducts that vibrate visibly. Management would like the overall noise level to be below 85 decibels.
One of the options management has under consideration is to hang sound-absorbing panels from the ceiling. This approach, possibly effective, would be prohibitively expensive. We feel a more effective approach is to identify each machine that produces noise over 85 dB and then control the noise at the source. This allows for much greater flexibility in designing controls and selecting noise absorbing materials. Options are vibration pads, acoustical enclosure, or even equipment/machine modifications. Most industrial facilities have concrete floors, solid walls and metal ceilings all of which cause noise to be deflected back into the plant.
Almost every sound-producing device generates a mix of frequencies and intensities (decibels). What we perceive with our ears or measure with a sound level meter is a composite of all these frequencies and intensities. Usually, an Octave Band Analysis (OBA) is needed to fully analyze the sound produced by a machine. The OBA will allow you to measure the intensity (in decibels) at 31, 62, 125, 250, 500, 1,000, 2,000, 4,000 (and sometimes 8,000 depending on the OBA model used) Hertz (Hz). There are even more precise 1/3 octave band analyzers for more detailed frequency measurements.
This is important. Low-frequency noise (up to about 125 Hz) is more difficult to control but has less potential for hearing damage. The higher the frequency, the easier it is to control and also the more damaging to our hearing abilities. This is fortunate because noise intensity at a higher frequency is more damaging to hearing than the same intensity at a lower frequency.
In some cases, simply moving the offending machine to another work area will help. An HVAC blower fan could be mounted outside the building it serves, for example. But, in most cases, the noisy device has to be inside the workplace, usually near workstations. For the remaining situations, noise can be controlled (i.e. absorbed or deflected) at the source, usually in the form of barriers or small enclosures. The choice of material to construct these controls depends on their sound-absorbing capacity which is very much frequency-dependent. Engineering tables, showing this capability for a variety of materials, are available. Controlling noise at the source is generally more effective and more economical to install and maintain than other approaches.
For more information contact Atlantic Environmental.
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