1.4 NOISE CONTROL REGULATIONS

---

À  p

WHY? to give formal standards so that engineers can guarantee excessive limits are not exceeded. Without formal numbers, we could "bend-the-rules"

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (USA)

- for prolonged worker exposure

- can be measured with device attached to worker for a period of time (these measure total sound exposure).

- safe exposure levels [source Irwin and Graf]

- When calculating, consider that noise levels change all day long,

Try problems S20, S21

1.4.1 Other Hearing Effects of Noise Exposure

(|

A table of international acceptable noise levels is given below (from [Hay, 1975])

Typical requirements for exposure to noisy environments

1.4.2 Measuring Noise Revisited

(|

From the Noise Control Act of 1972 (USA) a basic procedure was developed for estimating noise exposure for the general public.

Given a number of noise readings at the perimeter of a facility over a day, find the noise levels.

Try problems S22, S23

1.4.3 Noise Levels

(|

The American EPA developed some suggested noise levels. A list (of one at this point) is,