General

Noise, can cause annoyance and temporary and/or permanent hearing damage. Environmental noises emitted from one or more premises, can affect a neighbour, or even an entire neighbourhood. Loud workplace noise can cause communication problems. It can be responsible for accidents. It can affect the hearing of operators, and lead to permanent hearing damage. In N.S.W. as in other Australian States and many countries around the world, laws have been enacted to reduce noise and to protect people from the annoying and even harmful effects of loud noises; in the workplace and in the environment.

Purposes

Councils, government organisations, and courts often require definitive quantitative and/or qualitative information on the noises generated, the effects of the noises and the engineering means to reduce the noises. The Jurisdiction, or the Act or the Regulation governing the situation will dictate the type of noise report required.

Reasons

Very few Councils or government organisations have “in-house” Professional Acoustic Engineering expertise readily available. With the flood of litigation facing these organisations should a decision be wrong, most of these organisations require outside independent accredited acoustical engineers to provide detailed written advice on noise issues so can make informed decisions.

Examples

Maybe there is a noise complaint, or it may be a new machine or fan was installed and is noisy. Maybe there was three or more complaints about the noise from a Pub or Club. Maybe a notice has been issued on a factory owner to quieten the factory for WorkCover, or the Council or the Environmental Protection Authority.

Styles

For each of the following organisations, a different style of report is required. Experienced accredited acoustic engineers should be sought to provide the information to maximise the chances of achieving a satisfactory resolution. The organisations include: Councils; Environment Protection Authority; Department of Urban Affairs & Planning Department; Maritime Services Board; National Parks & Wildlife Service; Strata Titles Board; Liquor Administration Board; WorkCover; Police; and Courts.

Contents

A noise report needs to answer at least the following questions. Is the noise annoying, offensive, or excessive? Are the neighbours being subjected to loud noises? Are the employees being exposed to too much noise in the work place?

Preparation

A recognised accredited acoustic engineering consultant is the person that should prepare such reports. A recognised accredited acoustic engineering consultant will include recommendations to overcome the problems. Noise control measures need to be competently and professionally designed and properly implemented.

Types

There are typical types of noise reports that organisations request. The following are examples of these reports:

• Environmental Impact Statements
• Noise Impact Statements
• Development Approvals
• Building Approvals
• Construction Noise Reports
• Pollution Reduction Programme Reports
• Supplier Compliance Reports
• Commissioning Reports
• Background Noise Reports
• Prediction Reports
• Compliance Reports

We intend to further extend the information on the types of noise reports by providing specific details on each of the above types of reports.

Put us to the test and ask for some free advice. For further information about Camets Acoustics please contact us.