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Take control of your environment and the noise levels in it without expert management.
For acoustic assessment to acoustic development of properties anywhere in Australia, Rodney Stevens Acoustics is the best partner to call. Learn more about the acoustics consultancy and acoustics assessment services we provide.
Individual spaces require a certain level of privacy and reservation, whether situated in a residential property or a commercial area. Rodney Stevens Acoustics can provide professional noise assessments and recommendations for new developments to avoid exceeding the noise criteria under the prescribed NSW noise guidelines.
Transport noise assessments are the process of reviewing and studying the impact of transportation projects on the noise levels in a certain community. This assessment is vital since transport developments last for decades, and the affected households will be subject to the effects of the construction for probably most of their lives.
The goal of assessing transport noise is to make sure that the people living and working around places with transport infrastructure will be able to live and work comfortably even with the noise emitted by the transport projects. Acoustical engineers not only research and assess traffic noise. They also provide recommendations so that the project will adhere to NSW traffic noise guidelines
If public or private transportation are going to pass through an area, adequate transport noise assessments should be done for the community. Some projects that may need assessments include rail projects, airport construction projects and public road construction projects.
Rail infrastructure noise and road traffic noise should decrease with the help of effective transport noise mitigation measures recommended by acoustic engineers.
The first step in doing a transport noise assessment is to study the area where the development will take place. Engineers will do a detailed noise assessment on several road design scenarios. There are noise targets based on government guidelines in order for a project to be approved.
Should the noise levels exceed the noise criteria, the acoustics team should prepare a recommendation to mitigate the noise that the transport projects will release. Some examples of recommendations include building facade protection, solid barriers, or a combination of the two to reduce the noise levels the community will receive.
Between 28%-32% of Australian workers are exposed to loud noise at work. Work-related hearing loss due to excessive noise is an irreversible condition that some workers subject themselves to.
The most common noise-related injuries happen in the construction and manufacturing industries. The most vulnerable are the machinery operators, technicians, trades workers, labourers, and drivers. A detailed workplace noise report can help prevent such injuries from occurring.
According to model Work Health and Safety Regulations, workplaces in Australia must adhere to two exposure standards.
The first one is LAeq,8h of 85 dB(A). This means that a worker can’t get exposed to noise of more than 85 decibels for over an 8-hour shift. The second exposure standard is LC, peak of 140 dB(C). This means that a worker cannot get exposed to over 140 decibels of noise. This noise level is akin to a jet engine running at 30 mph.
Ideally, noise levels in the workplace should be 50-70 decibels only.
The above figures are subject to change at any time. Please refer to WHS regulations for the most up to date information.
After proper workplace emission assessments, our engineers can recommend several methods to minimise or eliminate a source of noise in the workplace. These include engineering control measures like placing barriers along noise transmission paths and administrative controls that include limiting the number of people at work while using noisy machines. Another alternative is using PPEs like earplugs or earmuffs while at work.
To learn more about the appropriate strategies to reduce workplace noise, reaching out to experienced acoustical engineers is best practise.
For household noise assessments in residential neighbourhoods, Rodney Stevens Acoustics can help owners handle their noise inflows and outflows. The team can handle the general noise assessment for their clients – from making sure that windows, walls, and vents get the acoustic solutions they require to ensuring that AC and pool pump noises are handled correctly.
This type of survey aims to quantify the noise environment in a site and its surrounding areas. The result of this survey will help assess the potential noise impact of activities to occupants in a residential area.
In general, there are two main reasons to get household noise assessments: to protect the amenities of future occupants and to protect the existing property owners in a residential area.
There are times when residential areas need to be built in high-noise urban areas. When this situation arises, it is necessary that the design considers the need to mitigate high noise levels. They should meet the noise targets in internal areas like bedrooms and living rooms and external areas like gardens and alfresco areas.
In addition, it is fundamental to consider the welfare of the existing residents in surrounding areas. Construction developments for large scale residential projects are going to be noisy. Acoustical engineers should create a recommendation to control the noise level and prevent it from having adverse effects on existing surrounding neighbourhoods.
Local governments with NSW use the POEO (Noise Control) Regulation 2017 to regulate neighbourhood noise in a community. This regulation basically limits the time of day when to use noisy machineries like lawnmowers and leaf blowers. It also sets noise limits for motor vehicles.
The acoustical engineering team will take this regulation into consideration when assessing and creating recommendations to limit residential noise emissions in an area.
Hospitality and entertainment facilities like hotels, bars, and event areas need acoustic planning management to ensure that guests feel comfortable. Rodney Stevens Acoustics can work with such facilities to take care of their sound systems and manage patron and equipment noise.
A hospitality and entertainment noise assessment refers to the survey and review of noise emissions of facilities like hotels, bars, and clubs relative to the noise level standards in an area.
The areas and activities inside and outside a hotel or inn should also go through hospitality noise assessment to ensure that guests and workers can comfortably work and relax in the facility. Similarly, pubs and event places need entertainment noise assessment to ensure that patron noise and pub noise levels remain at an acceptable degree.
All hospitality and entertainment facilities need to comply with existing noise assessment standards unless they want to receive complaints and face the consequences of non-compliance. Entertainment and hospitality facilities are places where people go to relax and have fun. However, excessive noise can lead to discomfort and even injuries— a complete contradiction to what hospitality and entertainment facilities are all about.
Three main stakeholders will be affected by a property’s noise assessment: the guests, the workers, and the people living and working around the hospitality or entertainment property. Acoustical engineers can design mechanisms that consider all of these stakeholders when building a hotel or pub.
After a thorough assessment of the property, the goal of acoustical engineers is to recommend solutions to either minimise or altogether remove the excessive noise from reaching the stakeholders.
For example, in hotels, noise-sensitive rooms can be addressed by using walkways and storage areas as buffer. For entertainment properties, installing insulation and window coverings can help too.
The key is using the appropriate strategy for each facility and seeking assistance from experienced acoustical engineers can help with this.
Child care facilities need to comply with noise emission standards to avoid facing property development or expansion issues. Rodney Stevens Acoustics can help childcare centres assess playground noise and mechanical plant noise to ensure they comply with the local council and state/territory standards. RSA will provide you with a compliance certificate after the thorough assessment.
There’s a considerable amount of research that suggests the negative impact of noise on children. Just as excessive noise is harmful to adults, it is even more harmful to children who are more vulnerable to such types of damage.
That said, developers should ensure that childcare facilities lie in areas with a good noise environment. They should also make sure that the childcare centre is equipped with the right mechanisms to counter noise pollution.
Within the centres, the spaces must allow children to make noise. However, the noise levels should not be harmful to the children or their caretakers. Additionally, the outdoor play area noise should be managed as well.
There are several reasons why children are even more vulnerable to excessive noise
It is the duty of childcare centre developers to make sure that childcare noise mitigation efforts on their properties are done to prevent noise-related injuries to children. The first step to doing so is enlisting the help of specialists who can do a complete childcare noise impact assessment and childcare acoustics report.
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