Managing noise exposure is complex in terms of accurately assessing sound levels, identifying and ranking the dominant noise sources, and finding effective control solutions.
Noise-induced hearing loss is a prevalent workplace injury in the modern industrial plant. Employers must manage workplace noise exposure. Doing so is complex in terms of accurately assessing sound levels and noise exposure in the workplace, identifying and ranking the dominant noise sources to be targeted for mitigation, and finding practicable, effective, and affordable noise control solutions.
Many aspects of acoustics and noise control are counterintuitive, and there is a great deal of myth and misinformation cluttering the common knowledge about noise. But there is a “convenient truth” we can use to cut through the confusion. Quite simply, there are really only a few ways to reduce noise indoors. All workplace noise control measures are really just variations of the three basic methods, which are:
1. Reduce the amount of sound that is produced by a given process, operation or activity. 2. Block, or contain-and-dissipate the sound. 3. Reduce excessive room reverberation.
That’s it. Three options. A bit of explanation will make this clear.
Some Important Basics of Acoustics
The reason that all indoor noise control measures fall into just three broad categories arises from the core fact of acoustics that there are fundamentally just four factors that determine the sound level at a given location indoors: the sound emission levels of the sound sources in the room; any physical measures that may impede or dissipate the sound as it propagates from the sources to the locations of interest; the distances from the sources to the locations of interest; and the amount of reverberation. (Reverberation is the tendency of sound to linger, and it occurs as a result of the sound bouncing around inside an enclosed space, reflecting and re-reflecting off of the many room surfaces. Excessive reverberation in a room increases the amount of noise by allowing the sound to build up in a cumulative fashion.)
This article originally appeared in the November/December 2019 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.
Is your company leveraging its safety data and analytics to maintain a safe workplace? With so much data available, where do you start? This downloadable guide will give you insight on helpful key performance indicators (KPIs) you should track for your safety program.
This guide includes details on how to conduct a thorough Job Hazard Analysis, and it's based directly on an OSHA publication for conducting JHAs. Learn how to identify potential hazards associated with each task of a job and set controls to mitigate hazard risks.
Learn from safety professionals from around the world as they share their perspectives on various “new views” of safety, including Safety Differently, Safety-II, No Safety, Human and Organizational Performance (HOP), Resilience Engineering, and more in this helpful guide.
As organizations digitalize and remote operations become more commonplace, the number of lone workers is on the rise. These employees are at increased risk for unaddressed workplace accidents or emergencies. This guide was created to help employers better understand common lone worker risks and solutions for lone worker risk mitigation and incident prevention.
Learn the keys to staying organized, staying sharp, and staying one step ahead on all things safety. This buyer’s guide is designed for you to use in your search for the safety management solution that best suits your company’s needs.
14901 Quorum Drive, Suite 425 Dallas, TX 75254 (972) 687-6700