Noise construction sites

That the requirements imposed by the notice are more onerous than those for the time being in force in relation to the noise to which the notice relates of (a) Any notice under Section 60 or 66 or (b) Any consent given under Section 61 or 6 or (c) Any determination made under Section 67. Section 60 relates to a construction site notice. Section 61 is consent for construction works. Sections 65-67 relate to noise-abatement zones (see below). 

Noise on construction sites is recognized by medical professionals and OSHA as an occupational hazard that can cause temporary or permanent hearing loss, stress, and other physical problems. The regulation is found in 29 CFR 1926.52. 

Where sound levels exceed the PNEs, you must also implement a hearing conservation program. An effective program monitors employee exposure, administers annual audiograms, trains workers, and maintains proper recordkeeping. You should keep records on the noise created by different machines and operations at your construction site. Measurements should be taken with a sound level meter, at slow response, measured on the A-scale. 

Construction sites are noisy places, especially during certain phases of a project. However, you don t have to accept hearing loss as a cost of working at construction sites. Noise is now recognized by OSHA as a hazard that can cause ... 

The Construction (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1996 deal with the main hazards likely to be found on a construction site. In addition to these specific hazards, there will be the more general hazards (e.g. manual handling, electricity, noise etc) which are discussed in more detail in other chapters. The hazards and controls identified in the Construction Regulations are as follows. 

Residents living close to a large construction site have complained about excessive noise levels from the site, dust on their property and mud on residential streets. 

Finally, consideration must be given to health hazards which are associated with working near water. These include biological hazards such as leptospirosis and tetanus and general hazards to health associated with working on any construction site such as noise, vibration and musculoskeletal problems, electricity, mechanical hazards, flying particles, dust and contact with cement. 

Drilling machines (rock drills in quarry) Acoustic enclosure of drive units and hydraulic equipment, as on compressors used on construction sites. Noise-suppression covers and silencers for exhaust air outlets of hammer drills. Sound-insulated control cabs (see Funke, 1973). 

The variety of powered tools and equipment used on construction sites make many jobs easier, but at a price. That price is the noise they generate and the vibrations they set up in use. Typical sources of noise and vibrations include jack hammers, compactors, pneumatic drills, powered percussion tools, etc. The exhausts from internal combustion engines, whether in vehicles or stationary plant, adds to the level of noise. 

In addition, they are usually constructed without isolation valves on the fuel supply lines. As a result the final connection in the pipework cannot be leak-tested. In practice, it is tested as far as possible at the manufacturer s works but often not leak-tested on-site. Reference 32 reviews the fuel leaks that have occurred, including a major explosion at a CCGT plant in England in 1996 due to the explosion of a leak of naphtha from a pipe joint. One man was seriously injured, and a 600-m chamber was lifted off its foundations. The reference also reviews the precautions that should be taken. They include. selecting a site where noise reduction is not required or can be achieved w ithout enclosure. If enclosure is essential, then a high ventilation rate is needed it is often designed to keep the turbine cool and is far too low to disperse gas leaks. Care must be taken to avoid stagnant pockets. 

Finally, noise is also becoming of increasing concern, particularly on sites adjacent to urban areas. Acoustic enclosures, supplied by the manufacturer, will normally reduce noise levels to 85 dB, but if further reduction is required, attention must be paid to the material used to construct the buildings and enclosures low noise levels can be achieved only at a cost. 

The demonstration plot of the experimental site should be constructed to evaluate the effectiveness of phytoremediation. The field activities consist of site mobilization, plot layout an construction, and soil sampling combined with other agricultural practices designed secifically for phytoremediation and adapted for the conditions present at the site. The activities has to be conducted in accodance with the personal protective equipment, level of protection, action levels and other health and safety practices, i.e. hazard analysis general safety reccomendations evaluation of the mechanical, electrical, fire hazards, gas and power lines, heat stress, noise, chemical hazards. 

BS 5228, Part 1 Noise Control on Construction and Open Sites , 1984. 

The noise at landfill sites is essentially associated with vehicle movements, either as a result of the throughput of vehicles, or as a result of reversing bleepers on plant. Such noise can be most easily controlled by the effective use of natural or artificial barriers such as soil embankments, tree stands and good use of the local topography, although there will be obvoius problems associated with landraising schemes, where there will be potential for noise to travel further than with normal landfill schemes, and where the construction of barriers to sound travel wiU be more difficult.. Controls may also be placed on the operational hours of the site. 

Construction and Traffic Noise Control. Outdoor construction noise in cities is being contained by sound curtains, flexible noise-reducing curtains connected with Velcro seals, which enclose the job site. These curtains block exterior noise and absorb noise created within the curtains. Typically the curtains reduce noise by 10 to 15 dB. In the European Union, a large consortium of leading industries, named Euro Noise Control, has formed to address noise issues and offer solutions by manufecturing means of reducing noise in urban areas. 

BS 5228 1975, Code of practice for noise control on construction and demolition sites, British Standards Institution, London (1975)... 

Experience with the implementation of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations in construction shows that there is little awareness of the principles of assessment, or significant appreciation of the risks to workers from substances brought onto the site -and especially from those created there. Also, there is said to be a disappointing response from the Industry to the noise controls (mostly managerial action and measurement... 

Underground services must be located and marked where applicable, using plans, etc. Overhead power lines should be disconnected, but otherwise fenced/signed. Water, gas and electricity supplies must be disconnected. Fall prevention and protection techniques will be required in accordance with the Construction Regulations hierarchy of control. PPE required by assessments must be provided and worn. Dust should be controlled by a combination of damping down, housekeeping, work methods and local exhaust ventilation. Defined noise protection zones, barriers and work rotation combine to tackle noise above the action levels. Site boundary noise output may be the subject of local authority controls. 

British Standard 5228 — Noise control on construction and open sites BS EN 500 series Mobile road construction equipment... 

Although the NLNM was constructed from the records of land-based seismometers, it may also represent a hypothetical quietest site under the sea. Seismic noise surveys on the ocean bottom have not yet been undertaken on the scale that they have been on land. It is clear from the work which has been done so far, however, that the noise levels are generally significantly higher. Most of the ocean floor is covered with sediment which is more compliant than sediment on land, and seismic velocities are lower. Seafloor compliance means that excess site noise due to deformation and tilt can result from both variations in pressure due to waves at the surface and currents traveling along the bottom of the ocean (Webb and Crawford 2010). When precautions are taken to mitigate these effects, site noise can approach the levels observed on land. 

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